When hawks attack: animal-borne video studies of goshawk pursuit and prey-evasion strategies.

ABSTRACT: Video filmed by a camera mounted on the head of a Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) was used to study how the raptor used visual guidance to pursue prey and land on perches. A combination of novel image analysis methods and numerical simulations of mathematical pursuit models was used to determine the goshawk's pursuit strategy. The goshawk flew to intercept targets by fixing the prey at a constant visual angle, using classical pursuit for stationary prey, lures or perches, and usually using constant absolute target direction (CATD) for moving prey. Visual fixation was better maintained along the horizontal than vertical direction. In some cases, we observed oscillations in the visual fix on the prey, suggesting that the goshawk used finite-feedback steering. Video filmed from the grou

SUBMITTER: Kane SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4302165 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature