I had a pair of local Cooper’s Hawks a couple of years ago as I feed birds in the winter so they would come to my yard to eat. I was so afraid they’d grab one of my Northern Cardinals or goldfinches but they seemed to like the pigeons and starlings the most.
Yes, I figured the Cooper’s sitting atop the telephone pole was keeping an eye out for a tasty supper. We have sparrows, finches, mourning doves, crows, mockers, hummingbirds and a few black Phoebes around here. Pigeons are in a small minority. I spotted the Cooper’s only because I found one of it tail feathers on the ground and then looked up.
We have Red Tail Hawks in my area. It’s amazing to watch them dive bomb a dove in mid air. They’ll perch on my roof to eat squirrel and leave a completely empty squirrel suit in my driveway. I get nervous when they look a little too closely at my Yorkie Poo.