ENVIRONMENT
Humans are to blame for urban Cooper鈥檚 hawk deaths, study says
A first-of-its-kind U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study tracking Albuquerque's Cooper's hawks over 10 years found that collisions with human-made structures are the leading cause of death for the city's urban raptors
A published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has found the leading causes of death among Albuquerque鈥檚 urban raptor populations.
The research, which analyzed 10 years of Cooper鈥檚 hawk observations, recently won 鈥渂est paper鈥� in the .
The Cooper鈥檚 hawk is a familiar sight across the continental 近距离内射合集 States, where countless backyard seed feeders have unnaturally boosted their primary prey: small birds.
鈥淭hey eat the rodents, they eat the birds. They love pigeons and doves, man. I mean, they鈥檒l eat all birds,鈥� Kristin Madden, one of the head authors of the study told KUNM. She is an Albuquerque resident and the migratory bird program chief for the Southwest region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Because of the virtually endless supply of food and shelter offered by modern urban environments, these top predators have learned to prefer the city life 鈥� essentially becoming year-round residents.
鈥淏ut there are unique challenges in a city like cars and windows, electrical poles, the availability of pigeons and doves that have been eating poisoned bait,鈥� Madden said.
Tracking these birds throughout their lifespan using GPS technology, Madden and her team found that human infrastructure is the No. 1 reason for Cooper鈥檚 hawk deaths, such as collisions with fences, electrical lines, windows and vehicles.
鈥淵ou name it, they鈥檒l run into it,鈥� Madden said.
The study, which Madden calls 鈥済roundbreaking,鈥� avoids a 鈥渂iased鈥� picture of hawk deaths. She said dead birds are usually found by chance, either when they are hit by a car or when they鈥檙e found in a backyard.
By meticulously keeping tabs on these birds, researchers were able to find dead birds where they would likely go unnoticed; like in air conditioning systems or those who were illegally shot and bludgeoned to death, .
Major studies show that , so much so that they are expected to house . And with development, comes the inevitable destruction or encroachment of animal habitat.
While it鈥檚 hard to remove the fencing around houses or the utility electrical power lines overhead, Madden stressed there are little things people can do to prevent collisions.
This can be as simple as moving bird feeders away from buildings, creating shaded areas, putting stickers on glass windows, or using small noisemakers.
Madden said their research has already been used to understand eagle population trends and could just as easily be mapped onto similar raptor species 鈥� like red-tailed hawks or the American kestrel.
As it happens, the summer is a time when people are most likely to encounter raptor hatchlings as they grow and learn to leave the nest. With this often comes momma and poppa hawks that might show aggressive behavior in order to protect their kiddos.
Madden said that raptors, especially the Cooper鈥檚 hawk, are not as problematic nor dangerous as people might believe.
In order to reduce conflict and impacts on young birds, she said it鈥檚 important to pay attention to raptor vocal cues and keep a responsible distance from nesting sites. If a nest can鈥檛 be avoided, walking with an umbrella can help.
Bryce Dix is the local host for NPR's Morning Edition on KUNM 近距离内射合集. This story originally appeared on Source New Mexico鈥檚 website.
