Bird of prey in the city center of Stockholm, Sweden? (1 Viewer)

[ACla]

Hello everyone,

We were on holiday in December 2023 in Stockholm Sweden. Whilst walking around the shops in the middle of the city center a large bird swooped down, caught a pigeon in mid air and flew on. I initially thought it may have been a Peregrine but I had a clear view of it's face and it seemed to have a meaner, angrier looking face.

After looking at some pictures online, its face looked more like a Goshawk or Sparrowhawk but it was definitely a larger bird than a Sparrowhawk, almost the size of a Buzzard and was well built.

I don't know much about Goshawks but I think they only live in forests, is that right? I have never seen a Peregrine that close before but it just seemed too big to be a Peregrine.

I'm probably imagining it was something it wasn't and it was probably a Peregrine, but I was wondering if anyone with any knowledge of the area could add any help, could it have been a different bird?

It was an amazing thing to see, my 5 year old son saw it too and we still talk about it, I said I would ask on here to see if anyone could help us ID it for sure.

Thanks in advance!

-Andy

 

[Stonefaction]

Found this via google....

Goshawks in Stockholm

mansod.wordpress.com

Looks like Goshawks do breed in the city.

 

[Jinac]

Probably Goshawk I'd say, they colonized cities, there is several dozen in Berlin I think

 

[Per J]

Goshawks are not uncommon in central Stockholm

/Per

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

This is the situation in the Netherlands, for instance in Amsterdam where Goshawks, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines are breeding.

Goshawks may breed in cities in larger parks, especially on the edge of town, but in general, they avoid crowded areas with lots of buildings in the city center.

Sparrowhawks breed in cities too. Female Sparrowhawks can have the size of a male Goshawk (almost) and hunt larger prey like pigeons. Sparrowhawks are found in the smallest gardens and are less afraid of humans. Still, a city center is not their favorite place.

Female Peregrines are also large birds. Catching a bird in mid air sounds more like a Peregrine. They are built for it, flying or diving downwards to grab a bird and they do it everywhere. Look up in the city center of Amsterdam and you might see one. They need room for their attacks and prefer to stay above the city buildings, after a dive they need some space to maneuver. However, when hunting they may land on the ground to get a fallen pigeon, not in a crowded area but still.

Goshawks and Sparrowhawks often attack by surprise, at about the same height and there may be a short pursuit. A steep dive is not their standard way of hunting, although everything is possible.

 

[Patudo]

That was most probably a goshawk you saw. I had remarkable views of them at short distance on a visit to Berlin (where they nest in the Tiergarten and other parks and green spaces, including smallish churchyards) a year or two ago. Never saw one hunt, but apparently groups of feral pigeons are often targeted. Conor Jameson's book (Looking for the Goshawk) includes some commentary by a local observer who reckoned that "if you watch a group of pigeons in a Berlin street for one hour, the likelihood is you will see a Goshawk attack".

Peregrines are different; they are (certainly in the UK) much easier to see than goshawks, but of the many hunts I've had the privilege to watch over the years, very few would have been seeable without binoculars. No doubt there will be city folks who have seen pigeons caught, but the typical catch, from what I've seen, tends to happen at rooftop height or above, and would be very hard to see from street level. Well worth trying to see though, at the right time of the year and if you can find a decent viewpoint.

I wish I'd seen what your 5 year old had at that age.

 

[Macswede]

I've often seen Goshawks in central Stockholm, Andy. They feed on the plentiful feral pigeons. We see fewer Goshawks living in the countryside than we did when we lived in Stockholm.

 

[Macswede]

They tried breeding Peregrines in Stockholm a number of years ago but when they fledged they were attacked by gulls and had to be rescued. So a Peregrine would be much less likely.

 

[ACla]

Thanks for your replies everyone, it sounds like it was most likely a Goshawk we saw!

After your replies I've been watching YouTube videos of Goshawks flying (don't know why I didn't do this earlier!?) and found this video:

The clip from 0:24 seconds looks very much like what I remember seeing as it flew past.

We were walking between shops when a big bird flying down towards us caught my eye, I pointed it out to my family and just as we looked up it slammed into a pigeon in mid air, probably only 12-15 feet off the ground, then flew right past us with it and back up into the sky. I stood there with my jaw open then looked around to see if any of the other shoppers had noticed but it seemed to be just us! It was an amazing experience, especially in the middle of a Christmas shopping trip!

I've only ever seen them on tv programmes in forests so didn't think Goshawks would be found in a busy city centre!

Sounds like I might have to plan a holiday to Berlin in the future...😆

Thanks again everyone

-Andy

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Interesting!

Huge differences between countries.

In Amsterdam, city center, when you see a raptor, chances are:

95% Peregrine
2% Common Buzzard
1 % Sparrowhawk
1% Kestrel
0.1% Goshawk
and some others

Roughly based on years of living there. Buzzards, Kestrels may fly over the city, they don't stay there. Once I've seen a Hobby hunting Swifts high up in the air. To give an idea, on our national birding site there are 642 sightings of Peregrines vs 14 of Goshawks in the city center. Lots of Peregrines are hunting, Goshawks fly over. Not all sightings of Peregrines are reported though, it's not very special, they breed in the city center, while every birder will enter a sighting of a Goshawk.

Sparrowhawks do hunt in the city but mostly in parks, their nests are in larger gardens of parks at the edge of town.

In Amsterdam something else happens, there are thousands of Rose-ringed parakeets. About 20 years ago, suddenly the flocks changed their behavior when crossing the Amstel (city river). Normally they flew over the buildings and river in a straight line above rooftop height. Now they crossed the river at less than 1 meter above the water, flying at full speed, going up fast at the other side. They had to change their behavior because of the Peregrines. They were able to attack the flocks of parakeets when they crossed the river. Because it's open there, the Peregrines can dive.

These Rose-ringed parakeets are a food source for Sparrowhawks too. I've seen them hunting in parks a few times. It's really weird, it's a climbing contest. The parakeet flees into a treetop. the Sparrowhawk follows and then starts climbing, using everything (bill, claws, even wings) to get through the branches. Once, this went on for 10 minutes. The parakeets are fast climbers by nature but the Sparrowhawk is persistent. In this case, the parakeet escaped because the Sparrowhawk was worn out.

Only the smaller male Sparrowhawks seem to hunt like this, they are more agile. It's a fascinating sight, they move like the parakeets, using their bill to get a hold on small branches. The Sparrowhawks are fast but the parakeets can 'outrun' them, probably because climbing is their natural way of moving, it takes less effort.

Interesting to hear that Goshawks are city hunters in other countries.

 

[Patudo]

Do male sparrowhawks tackle parakeets regularly in your area? That's pretty impressive - there must be little between them in terms of size, and the parakeet has a pretty formidable beak - I recall seeing a female peregrine catch one and seemingly find it quite tricky to handle.

@OP - Berlin was a really neat experience and thoroughly recommended. Feb to (I guess) early April would be when I'd go, as the birds will be much harder to see once the trees are in leaf, but I know some folks like to visit in summer, when the young have just fledged. They are remarkable creatures, but then, so are peregrines (which are much easier to see if you're in Devon). The frustrating thing with all the accipiters (goshawks, sparrowhawks and their relations) is that they so often hunt in amongst tree cover and can be extremely difficult to follow, whereas falcons fly high in the sky and are much easier to watch. The peregrine pair in Exeter has received a fair amount of attention thanks to their intense dislike of buzzards - if you can get up there on a sunny day anytime between say March and the end of June/early July you should have a chance of seeing some great flying.

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Do male sparrowhawks tackle parakeets regularly in your area? That's pretty impressive - there must be little between them in terms of size, and the parakeet has a pretty formidable beak - I recall seeing a female peregrine catch one and seemingly find it quite tricky to handle.

Regularly, I can not say that with certainty, I saw this climbing contest twice and some short pursuits in the air. But Sparrowhawks prefer to hunt before and after opening hours (a few parks have fences) so they stay out of sight.

And yes, the parakeet is almost the size of the male Sparrowhawk. That surprised me too. Both times, when climbing, the parakeet escaped. Probably the Sparrowhawk attacks with his claws in a special way so the parakeet cannot use its beak. Still, this is a dangerous prey, compared to a Blackbird for instance.

On the other hand, it was clear that the parakeet was terrified and he didn't try to fight at all. It was in summer, it might have something to do with feeding the young, Sparrowhawks taking more risks when hunting?

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Were the rose-ringed parakeets adults or young birds? I always get the impression the young will be quite clumsy when fighting or play-fighting among themselves and may be less skillfull when trying to escape a predator...

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Were the rose-ringed parakeets adults or young birds? I always get the impression the young will be quite clumsy when fighting or play-fighting among themselves and may be less skillfull when trying to escape a predator...

Good question, unfortunately I can't remember, at first my focus was on the raptor, was this weird parrot really a Sparrowhawk?

It was difficult to see them high up in the tree, often they were moving like Treecreepers, circling around the trunk.

The parakeet looked experienced though, in a way that he stayed ahead just enough. Like he knew that it was better to exhaust the Sparrowhawk first and then fly away. Of course, this was just my impression but when climbing the parakeet kept more or less the same distance the whole time.

Maybe it's distraction and exhaustion, parakeets are clever