Pigeon Hawk

Pigeon hawks are small, fearless little hunters, and are very much alike the blackbird. Pigeon hawks are found in Europe, Asia, and America. They never migrate very far: the birds from England spend their winter in North Africa, while the birds from Norway and Iceland go to England. Funny, huh?

Pigeon hawks are often found in swamps and moors, where they can hunt easily without scaring away their food. They can live happily on the outskirts of a forest, but never in one as they do not like flying at high heights, unlike most raptor birds. In fact, pigeon hawks often hunt at ground level, only chasing their food through the air if it flies. Often times they will eat small birds, but will also eat rodents and insects.

Pigeon hawks are very smart when it comes to reserving food- if they catch and kill something that is too big for them to eat, they bury it and will return to it for another meal. I think this is great, keeping in mind that the pigeon hawk is a bird and not a dog. Saving food is just one representation of how "lazy" the bird is- it doesn't build it's own nest, but instead uses the abandoned nests of other birds! If there are none nearby, it is also content with a hole in the ground with grass and twigs.

When young are hatched, the mother stays with them to protect them while the father hunts and brings back food for the babies. There are usually 4 or 5 mouths to feed. All this protection is really all for naught, however- the babies are born very independent and are often flying and fending for themselves at the age of one month.