In a quiet suburb of New Jersey, USA, an unexpected example of avian intelligence has caught the attention of birders and scientists alike. An immature Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) has been observed using an urban pedestrian crossing to aid its hunting — a behaviour that highlights just how adaptable some raptors can be in our ever-changing cityscapes.
The hawk, first noticed by zoologist Vladimir Dinets in 2021 on his routine drive through the intersection, displayed a fascinating strategy: it perched above the busy street, waiting for the sound signal of the pedestrian crossing to activate. When traffic stopped in response, the hawk used the stationary cars as cover to approach its unsuspecting prey — typically birds feeding near a house where residents regularly dined outside.
Over the course of 12 hours of observation spanning 18 days in the winter of 2021–22, Dinets witnessed six hunting attempts. In one instance, the hawk successfully captured a mourning dove. But what stood out even more than the outcome was the apparent method: It waited until the pedestrian signal started beeping, which seemed to indicate to it that cars were going to stop soon. Then it moved to a branch directly above the road and swooped down once the traffic halted.
“The observed behavior required having a mental map of the area and understanding the connection between the sound signals and the change in traffic pattern – a remarkable intellectual feat for a young bird that likely had just moved into the city. Such level of understanding and use of human traffic patterns by a wild animal has never been reported before,” Dinets explains in his Frontiers in Ethology report.
Challenges our assumptions about birds
Such behaviour challenges the assumption that only highly social or famously intelligent birds, such as crows or parrots, are capable of this kind of adaptive problem-solving. Cooper’s Hawks are solitary hunters, yet here we see one effectively navigating a complex urban environment using indirect cues — including human behaviour — to its advantage.
Unfortunately, the bird’s clever strategy was not permanent. The following summer, the crossing signal malfunctioned and the outdoor diners moved away. Without these specific conditions, the hawk was no longer observed at the intersection, a reminder of how fragile such niche behaviours can be.
This case is a powerful example of how wildlife is responding — often creatively — to urban development. For birders and urban naturalists, it also offers a reminder to stay observant: the next great behavioural insight might be waiting at your nearest zebra crossing.
In a world where urban expansion often spells trouble for wildlife, stories like this inspire fresh appreciation for the ingenuity of birds adapting in real time to our presence.
Images sourced from Animalia
