Harris’s hawk in flight, falconer’s bird in Malta (photo from Wikimedia)

10 September 2026

Most raptors are solo hunters though mated pairs of peregrines, aplomado falcons and golden eagles will sometimes hunt cooperatively when there are young in the nest. But even this is rare.

Harris’s hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi) are the exception. Native from the American Southwest to western Peru, they hunt together in family groups organized like a wolf pack.

A dominance hierarchy occurs in Harris’s hawks, wherein the mature female is the dominant bird, followed by the adult male and then the young of previous years. Groups typically include from two to seven birds. Not only do birds cooperate in hunting, but they also assist in the nesting process. No other bird of prey is known to hunt in groups as routinely as this species.

If you’re near a family’s territory you’ll see them work together. (Fair warning: video shows them catching a rabbit + includes a pun on the word “prey”)

Since the 1980’s Harris’s hawks have become popular falconry birds because they are very social and easy to train. They are often used to keep nuisance birds away from airports, public places, and landfills.

At least one of them is internationally famous: Rufus the Hawk at Wimbledon, June 2014.

Read more about Harris’s hawks’ hunting technique at Audubon Magazine: Better Know a Bird: How Harris’s Hawks Hunt Like Wolves to Bring Down Prey.

p.s. This is my annual Working Birds post for Labor Day… though it’s three days late.