On Tue, 23 Jul 1996, Burton Guttman wrote:

[snip]
> This sounds very much like a Goshawk attempting to kill a fawn. I've
> checked all my references at home, including Bent's _Life Histories_,
> Brown and Amadon, and other books on raptors, and I find no mention of
> Goshawks attacking mammals larger than rabbits, except for several
> stories of them attacking humans who may be threatening their
> territories. Lots of comments about Goshawks' tenacity and ferocity in
> hunting, but I've never heard of one going after anything as large as a
> fawn for food. What does anyone else know about this behavior?

Is there any chance that the fawn could have stumbled near to the
Goshawk's nest? Goshawks will certainly chase four-legged animals away,
and I've heard that if a human and a dog approach a nest together, the
hawks always go for the dog first. Perhaps the fawn wandered into the
wrong area, and in its panic, circled back towards the nest, resulting in
the long chase.

I've heard of falconers hunting antelope in the middle east with eagles
and hounds (sounds more than a little chaotic - peasants stay clear!).
Martial Eagles in Africa kill small antelope regularly. So I don't think
it's out of the question that a Goshawk might attack a small fawn for
food, but it doesn't seem like the most likely explanation of what was
reported.

Chris Hill
Everett, WA
cehill at u.washington.edu