This is Bird Note.

Cities may have been created by humans for humans, but nature persists.

Next time you're in the city, look up.

When the pigeon flocks flash and flare, wheeling with a new urgency,

you might just see a different bird, long-tailed and stiff-winged in pursuit.

Historically persecuted as chicken hawks, for many years Cooper's hawks were in steep decline

due to hunting and the effects of DDT on breeding.

Today, populations have rebounded to the point that it's now our most abundant bird-eating raptor.

Male Cooper's hawks are significantly smaller than the females,

and they tend to prey on morning doves, grackles, and other easy pickings

at suburban bird feeders, orange city parks, and wooded residential areas.

Their big bulky mates can easily hunt and kill pigeons,

and it's usually female Cooper's hawks that are seen flapping stiffly through the skies above the concrete jungle.

These hawks add a dash of wildness and drama to the modern city-scape.

Look up and you'll see evidence of nature's persistence in the form of pigeon feathers falling silently from the sky.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.