"An intellectual feat": in the United States, a hawk uses traffic jams to stealthily approach its prey

Should we see this as yet another sign of animal intelligence , or yet another proof of the impact of humans on nature ? Surely both. A study published this Friday, May 23, in the scientific journal Frontiers of Ethology by American zoologist Vladimir Dinets recounts the surprising hunt of a young falcon in an urban environment , a young Cooper's hawk that strategically takes advantage of rush-hour traffic jams.

One morning in November 2021, while walking through the traffic-clogged streets of West Orange, Vladimir Dinets witnessed the hawk in question displaying strange behavior. Perched high in a tree, it was ready to begin its hunt. Fifty meters away, its target: the terrace of a house where sparrows, turtledoves, and other starlings had taken to pecking at the crumbs left by its residents who enjoyed outdoor dining. While the small birds were feeding peacefully, the hawk emerged from the tree to fly toward them. The zoologist hadn't noticed anything surprising so far... until he witnessed the hawk's method of approach. It skirted the line of vehicles in order to reach the tree directly in front of the house unseen. Before diving over the roadway and swooping down on its prey.

Intrigued, Vladimir Dinets returned to the scene and hid in his car for eighteen days. A daily vigil of twelve hours, spent observing the raptor's behavior in the West Orange winter. The specialist recorded six attempted attacks by the same sparrowhawk, identifiable by its plumage. During his study, he realized that the hawk only emerged from the tree under one specific condition: when a long line of cars was stationary.

However, this traffic jam, several dozen meters long, only occurs when someone presses the pedestrian crossing button to request priority. This triggers an audible signal. And the falcon has clearly identified this shrill beep. It only moves when it sounds. This suggests that the bird was using the sound as an indication of an upcoming traffic jam.

"When I realized what was happening, I was really impressed. I didn't expect that," Vladimir Dinets told the Guardian on Friday. "On the other hand, every time I study an animal species, it turns out to be more intelligent than I thought."

The Cooper's hawk's original habitat is temperate coniferous forests or mountainous regions of North America. However, since the 1970s, this hawk has made cities its breeding and wintering habitat, becoming one of the most common hawk species in North American cities.

According to the study, the behavior observed in this falcon demonstrates the animal's mental mapping of the area and an understanding of the link between sound signals and changes in traffic. " A remarkable intellectual feat for a young bird that had probably just moved to the city […] Such a level of understanding and use of human traffic patterns by a wild animal has never been observed before," the zoologist points out.

The raptor's technique still needs to be perfected, as the scientist has only witnessed one successful capture of a sparrow. But "one can only imagine the level of knowledge and understanding of the environment of sparrowhawks living in more natural landscapes," adds Vladimir Dinets.

While observing this urban hunting technique in falcons is a first, scientists have already observed certain behaviors that birds adapt to urban landscapes, particularly in their relationship with moving cars. "Birds learn not only to avoid the danger they represent, but also to exploit it in various ways," the study states.

Crows have taken to dropping nuts, small vertebrates, shelled mollusks, and other prey onto roads to be killed or have their shells crushed by car wheels. Other scavengers regularly patrol busy roads to scavenge for animals killed on the asphalt. Passerines, meanwhile, feast on dead insects stuck in car hoods or crushed on car windshields. Some species also take advantage of a free ride by hiding on a moving vehicle and thus evading a predator.