Falcons know how to simulate attacks

These birds know how to tire their prey or force them to take greater risks. And the evidence shows that this involves an elaborate thought process. Falcons know how to simulate attacks while they are hunting. Why do they do it? The finding appears in ‘Frontiers in Ethology’.

The theory of the Wolf-Mangel model is demonstrated. It says that predators deliberately exhaust their prey to improve their subsequent hunting success. Ronald Ydenberg, from Simon Fraser University (Canada), is lead author of the study.

Falcons know how to simulate attacks to tire their prey.
Falcons know how to simulate attacks to tire their prey.

Attacks to tire

Pacific sandpipers are prey for the peregrine falcon. These find it easier to do so when the tide brings the sandpipers closer to land. They usually land at high tide and the vegetation on the shore makes it easier for them to ambush.

In the 1990s, the presence of peregrine falcons increased in Boundary Bay. The sandpipers began to replace their roosts with flocks over the ocean, that is, to fly in groups over the waves. This prevents peregrine falcons from ambushing them. But it costs energy and time searching for food.

A long observation demonstrated the strategy of the hawks. With false attacks, they make the sandpipers fly in flocks for more and more time to protect themselves. However, as they spend more time flying without rest, they become tired and eat less. And it usually happens that after this, the mortality rate increases.

Thanks to this clever strategy, you maximize your chances of success.
Thanks to this clever strategy, you maximize your chances of success.

Skillful strategy

The most skilled falcons waited until the sandpipers were tired before hunting. It was discovered that there are other species of birds in another bay with similar behavior. It also gathers in flocks when threatened by hawks. The same pattern of early flocks and late deaths appears. This suggests that it is due to hunting strategy rather than variations in skill.

«There are other hypotheses that could explain these results. To prove them, detailed monitoring of each of the falcons is necessary. We believe that falcons know how to simulate attacks, tiring their prey and waiting intelligently. This increases your chances of success.”

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