Ecological niches of European and North American woodpeckers - how do they compare? (1 Viewer)

fugl · Feb 18, 2019

Sangahyando said:
My mistake, I seemed to remember it was an American expression for flycatching.

No mistake (just another case of Nutcracker expressing his disdain for American usage). “Hawking” is a common term for flycatching in the US. Both Red-headed and Lewis’s Woodpeckers hawk for insects, the Lewis’s (the only one of the two I’ve had much field experience with) doing so habitually, often in small flocks from the tops of tall trees.

This has been a very interesting thread, by the way. . ..

birdmeister · Feb 18, 2019

Nutcracker said:
Not sure! Don't know how aggressive they are.

It has been my experience that Tufted Titmice are fairly mellow birds, even during nesting season. I think any of our woodpeckers could take over a titmouse nesting site, although I'm sure a few titmice are more aggressive.

dantheman · Feb 18, 2019

fugl said:
No mistake (just another case of Nutcracker expressing his disdain for American usage). “Hawking” is a common term for flycatching in the US.

Pretty common usage in the UK too! Not sure if use has changed in recent years but eg dragonflies hawk for insects ...

Nutcracker · Feb 18, 2019

fugl said:
No mistake (just another case of Nutcracker expressing his disdain for American usage). “Hawking” is a common term for flycatching in the US.

Nope, not this time 8-P - the term is used in much the same way here too, but usually only when explicitly specified 'hawking for insects'. I didn't know US usage differed.

But since I've never seen or heard of UK woodpeckers hawking for insects, I wasn't sure if that was what was meant, and thought it might mean bird catching which ours do sometimes do. So I guess there is a significant behavioural difference between Old & New World woodpeckers here.

Hauksen · Feb 18, 2019

Hi Dan,

dantheman said:
Pretty common usage in the UK too! Not sure if use has changed in recent years but eg dragonflies hawk for insects ...

Thanks a lot, quite useful to have a single verb for that!

Seems to be specialized terminology as it's not in the otherwise amazing etymonline dictionary:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/hawk#etymonline_v_6226

Good to know that "hawking" in the sense of (v.1) has no ornithological aspect as all. (I always thought this was a very weird verb, and suddenly I realize it's just the same as the German "hökern"

Regards,

Henning

Hauksen · Feb 18, 2019

Hi,

Nutcracker said:
Nope, not this time 8-P - the term is used in much the same way here too, but usually only when explicitly specified 'hawking for insects'. I didn't know US usage differed.

Does it imply the "style" of hunting, i. e. looking for insects from a perch, then taking flight to catch the prey, and landing on the same or a nearby perch?

Regards,

Henning

Nutcracker · Feb 19, 2019

Hauksen said:
Hi,

Does it imply the "style" of hunting, i. e. looking for insects from a perch, then taking flight to catch the prey, and landing on the same or a nearby perch?

Often yes, but not always - you can also have e.g. swallows hawking for flies, without landing at all.

Hauksen · Feb 19, 2019

Hi,

Nutcracker said:
Often yes, but not always - you can also have e.g. swallows hawking for flies, without landing at all.

I see, thanks a lot. In German, there's a recurring phrase translating to "perch hunting for flying insects", but that doesn't seem to be equivalent to hawking then.

Not that I have ever seen woodpeckers hunt insects in any other way than by either finding them in trees or, in the case of Green Woodpeckers, on the ground.

On the other hand, woodpeckers, especially the Greens tend to be very shy when observed, so maybe they avoid conspicious behaviour like hawking for insects when they are aware of humans in the vicinity :-/

Regards,

Henning

Nutcracker · Feb 19, 2019

Hauksen said:
On the other hand, woodpeckers, especially the Greens tend to be very shy when observed, so maybe they avoid conspicious behaviour like hawking for insects when they are aware of humans in the vicinity :-/

In some parts of their range, Green Woodpeckers have adapted well to humans and and colonised city parks and large gardens, and have become much less shy (I've seen this in southern England, and also Berlin Tiergarten) - and I still have not seen them chasing after flying insects :t:

MJB · Feb 19, 2019

Nutcracker said:
In some parts of their range, Green Woodpeckers have adapted well to humans and and colonised city parks and large gardens, and have become much less shy (I've seen this in southern England, and also Berlin Tiergarten) :t:

Likewise in Laxenburg Park, just south of Vienna.
MJB

Jeff Hopkins · Feb 19, 2019

Nutcracker said:
Post #8 8-P whether I'm right or not (probably not!) is a different matter . . .

Nope. You were right. It was post #8.

And your premise seemed right to me, too. B

Paul Longland · Feb 20, 2019

dantheman said:
Pretty common usage in the UK too! Not sure if use has changed in recent years but eg dragonflies hawk for insects ...

And Hobbies hawk for dragonflies. They also prey on Hirundines but we never use the term hawking for that. Strange thing language.3

Ecological niches of European and North American woodpeckers - how do they compare? (1 Viewer)

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