Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
cal diet of mammals to one rich in birds, especially house sparrows. Kestrels
also scavenge human refuse, cleaning the meat of of steak bones and snacking
on sandwiches left behind in schoolyards.
Stan Rullman knew he wanted to be a biologist when he was seven years old.
Raptors were a special draw to the young lad's imagination, and he spent
many a childhood day searching for their nests. Thirty years later, despite
having studied all manner of life as a curator at the Cincinnati Zoo, Stan was
ready to pursue an advanced academic degree. We quickly decided that the
hawks and owls around Seattle would be perfect subjects. To understand
diurnal and nocturnal raptors was challenging. Stan would frequently stay
up all night blaring owl calls in a neighborhood and then walk the streets the
following day playing the screams of hawks. Through his dedication we
learned that most neighborhoods harbored three to i ve species of raptors.
Stan found that one, the barn owl, was an exploiter. This white, monkey-
faced species was found only in the most urban areas. Western screech-owls
also were closely associated with development, never responding to calls in
subdivisions that were mostly forested. The pygmy owl, on the other hand,
was an avoider. This little guy was heard only in neighborhoods and reserves
dominated by forest. To our surprise, most raptors were adapters that lived in
nearly every neighborhood. These included Cooper's, red-tailed, and sharp-
shinned hawks as well as barred and great horned owls. The Cooper's hawk
seemed special.
“Coops” are common in suburbs across North America. They belong
to the genus
Accipiter,
which includes the larger goshawk and the smaller
sharp-shinned hawk that raided my feeder. The short, rounded wings and long,
dexterous tails of all
Accipiters
allow them to outmaneuver most of what they
chase. Their hunting style is to sit, wait, and surprise their quarry, often at
