Cooper's Hawk Mural

Congratulations! You have found the Cooper's Hawk mural located at Crawford Woods Park! Read the following text and write down some facts on your form.

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Do you live on the edge of a forest, or in a forest? You may not realize that hunters are at work, scoping out your bird feeders. Cooper’s Hawks are a small raptor that feed primarily on medium-sized songbirds. When you suddenly hear birds colliding with your windows, chances are a Cooper’s Hawk has swooped in to try to catch a meal. Birds suddenly scatter to avoid this very quick hawk. Cooper’s have learned window crashes mean an easy meal.

We often think of predators as fierce hunters at the top of the bird food chain. But we now know that about 1 of every 4 Cooper’s Hawks show healed-over broken bones to their furcula (or wishbone). Rather than slow down when flying through a dense forest, this hawk often attacks at top speed. No wonder they so often break bones! 

Mural Artists: Jenn Acus-Smith and Gabi Roach