Erik Brush
Prarrie Falcon
This is a colour pencil piece from a birds of prey series I did. The Prarrie Falcon is a fascinating in that it is one of the rare few raptors that is a cooperative hunter. It often targets prarrie dogs and these rodents post sentries in their colonies to watch out for predators and warn the entire prarrie dog town if they spot approaching danger.
To improve their success, unrelated prarrie falcons will pair up to hunt the rodents. One bird will circle and fly just at the edge of the distance that will panick the prarrie dogs. All of the sentries begin focusing on this bird as it looms just on the edge of the zone from which they need to sound an alert. Meanwhile the other falcon will fly in low to the ground with either the rising or setting sun slightly above and behind them making it difficult for any of the prarrie dogs to see them coming.
Striking from behind the bird will score a kill and then the decoy bird will fly down and share in the feast. Among raptors only the Harris Hawk and the Prarrie falcon are known to engage in cooperative hunting.
Prarrie Falcon
This is a colour pencil piece from a birds of prey series I did. The Prarrie Falcon is a fascinating in that it is one of the rare few raptors that is a cooperative hunter. It often targets prarrie dogs and these rodents post sentries in their colonies to watch out for predators and warn the entire prarrie dog town if they spot approaching danger.
To improve their success, unrelated prarrie falcons will pair up to hunt the rodents. One bird will circle and fly just at the edge of the distance that will panick the prarrie dogs. All of the sentries begin focusing on this bird as it looms just on the edge of the zone from which they need to sound an alert. Meanwhile the other falcon will fly in low to the ground with either the rising or setting sun slightly above and behind them making it difficult for any of the prarrie dogs to see them coming.
Striking from behind the bird will score a kill and then the decoy bird will fly down and share in the feast. Among raptors only the Harris Hawk and the Prarrie falcon are known to engage in cooperative hunting.