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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fugl" data-source="post: 1439905" data-attributes="member: 816"><p>My guess is that many or most birds of prey--Kestrels, other birds of their own species--taken by Sparrowhawks are young inexperienced individuals.  I actually witnessed a Cooper's Hawk snatch a young American Kestrel out of the air a few years ago.  The victim was part of a group of 3-4 fledglings, strong on the wing but still being looked after by their parents.  While I was watching the group (which was ineffectually harassing a Killdeer brood on the lawn of a big public park), I idly followed one of the fledglings through binoculars as it flew towards an isolated cottonwood about 50 yards away.  When still about 10 ft. from its destination, the fledgling was attacked by a Cooper's Hawk coming out of the tree directly at it from the dense foliage where it had been concealed.  The 2 birds met head-on, the hawk binding to the kestrel in midair, turning back along its course, and flapping heavily off with it in one continuous movement.  I chased after the hawk & found it again a few minutes later on the lawn about 100 yds away, still with its prey.  Cooper's Hawks, I believe, average a little larger than Sparrowhawks (but not by much) & the American Kestrel is a touch smaller than the European bird, but the mid-air collision between the 2 birds was still something to see & left a real impression.</p></blockquote><p></p>