wjansen:

>Isn't the Merlin sometimes referred to as a pigeon hawk? Seems like
>appropriate behavior to me!

Yes, but my understanding is that it's a reference to their strong
flight. Pigeons have a really hearty wingbeat, as do merlins.

So who knows?

Coops are named "chicken hawks" because they take chickens, supposedly.
On the other hand, you have my word on it that they look just like
chickens when they're running full-speed on the ground. I'm not
kidding - accipiters will occasionally run after prey. One of our
best trappers at the Gosutes caught his first goshawk when it ran
from outside the station to his pigeon lure. It ran right into the
lower tier of a mistnet...