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4,206 iNaturalist Predation Records Show Cooper’s Hawks Selected Doves and Flickers

Male Cooper's hawk standing over bird prey in Toronto
Research · Ecology

A large analysis of iNaturalist photographs has provided one of the broadest datasets yet on the diet of cooper’s hawk (Astur cooperii). The study was published on 18 February 2026 in Ornithology.

Researchers searched photograph-vouchered iNaturalist records of cooper’s hawk and sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) across much of their ranges. Among 74,974 photographs reviewed for the two species, they identified 4,206 predation events for cooper’s hawk and 619 for sharp-shinned hawk.

Pigeons, doves and northern flickers were selected more strongly than expected

The analysis allowed the researchers to compare prey observations with the spatial availability of potential prey rather than simply listing what appeared in photographs. The cooper’s hawks showed selection for pigeons and doves, passerines and northern flicker (Colaptes auratus).

The rock dove (Columba livia) was both the most frequently observed prey and the prey item selected most strongly by cooper’s hawks. The results therefore support earlier observations that medium- to large-bodied birds, particularly pigeons and doves, form an important part of the species’ diet.

Prey-size selection was bimodal rather than centred on one size

Prey-size use was not centred around a single body size. The cooper’s hawks showed a bimodal pattern of prey-size selection, which the authors relate to use of pigeons and doves alongside smaller prey types. The smaller sharp-shinned hawk showed a stronger preference for small passerines.

Although birds dominated the photographed prey, cooper’s hawks also regularly took small mammals. The authors therefore describe the species as predominantly an avian specialist rather than an exclusively bird-eating predator.

Because the records came from public observations across a large geographic area and many life-history stages, they complement diet studies based mainly on prey remains at nests or observations around bird feeders.

Sources and image credit

  1. Gibson, W. J., Miller, E. T., Eling, A. M., & McNeil, D. J. (2026). Citizen science provides an unprecedented glimpse into the diets of Astur cooperii (Cooper’s Hawk) and Accipiter striatus (Sharp-shinned Hawk). Ornithology, 143(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukag008Primary peer-reviewed article published online 18 February 2026. The analysis reviewed 74,974 iNaturalist photographs and identified 4,206 Cooper’s Hawk predation events; Rock Dove was the most frequently observed and most strongly selected prey item.

Image: Mykola Swarnyk — male Cooper's hawk (Astur cooperii) with bird prey at Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto, Canada, 20 May 2020; representative predation image, not an observation from the analysed iNaturalist dataset. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Source

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Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Cooper’s Hawk Astur cooperii Explore species Rock Dove Columba livia Explore species

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