How Hawk uses traffic signals to hunt the prey
Image: National Geographic
In New Jersey, where the morning rush is usually defined by coffee-fuelled commuters and red lights that last an eternity, one unexpected local has mastered urban survival: a hawk.
No, not a metaphorical Wall Street type — a real, feathered, razor-taloned Cooper's hawk. Spotted by zoologist Vladimir Dinets, this clever raptor has figured out that when the crosswalk beeps, it's showtime. As soon as traffic lines up at a red light, the hawk swoops low, using cars like camouflage to ambush breakfast. While we rely on traffic apps to avoid delays, this bird uses signals to schedule murder. Efficient.
Hawk's modern hunting technique
The hawk's hunting strategy is so precise it might as well be using Waze. As soon as the pedestrian crossing sound chirps, the bird knows it's go-time. With a dramatic flair that would put any Hollywood spy to shame, it flies low above the sidewalk, hides behind cars, zips across the street, and then lands on its unsuspecting target. The intended victims? A buffet of sparrows and doves enjoying breadcrumbs left by a local family.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here]
Esseps
Learn More
Undo
It's basically a hawk version of DoorDash. But with more blood.
No traffic, No Hawks, its weekend for everyone
Dinets observed the hawk 18 times, almost like a devoted fan following a rockstar on tour — except this one had feathers and a killer instinct. Every weekday morning, like clockwork, the hawk appeared at the same intersection when the crosswalk beeped. But on weekends? Total no-show. No honking, no breadcrumb buffet, no traffic queues to hide behind. The hawk clearly knew it wasn't worth the flight.
It's as if it checked the human schedule and said, 'Meh, no brunch crowd today.
I'll sleep in.'
No traffic means no cover. No breadcrumbs means no birds. It's like opening Netflix only to find your Wi-Fi is down — the intent was there, but the execution is impossible.
Brains over brawn
Forget brute force — this Cooper's hawk is running a masterclass in stealth, timing, and pattern recognition. With the kind of precision usually reserved for special ops units, it uses pedestrian signals as cues, cars as camouflage, and instinct honed by evolution to grab breakfast before most people finish theirs.
According to Dinets, this style of ambush hunting requires not just quick reflexes but advanced cognitive skills. The hawk isn't just reacting. It's planning. If it had opposable thumbs and a laptop, it might be lecturing at MIT. But for now, it's settling for a protein-rich sparrow.
City life is wild — Literally
Living in the city is hard enough. For humans, it's overpriced rent and delayed trains. For birds of prey, it's power lines, speeding cars, and the occasional confused pigeon. And yet, this hawk isn't just surviving — it's thriving. It's learned to navigate our chaos, using our routines against us. Evolution didn't make it louder or larger. It made it smarter. In this game of survival, the one who understands the traffic light wins.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Setback for Haryana's Bal Vatika scheme as 466 schools report no enrolments this year
Gurgaon: Haryana's pre-school education scheme Bal Vatika, though introduced in 8,400 govt schools across the state, has found no takers in 466 institutes this academic year. Most of the schools with no admissions under Bal Vatika are in Yamunanagar (79), followed by Kurukshetra (47), Rewari (41), Panchkula and Ambala (40 each), Faridabad (18) and Gurgaon (17). Under the scheme, launched last year, children aged three or more can take admission into BalVatika 1. The minimum age for admission in Balvatika 2 is four, and Balvatika 3 is five. This three-tier model is similar to private kindergarten schools that offer nursery, LKG and UKG classes. Before this, govt school education in Haryana began with Class 1. The Bal Vatika initiative was announced to plug this gap as the lack of kindergarten education in govt facilities forced families in rural areas and with low incomes to directly admit their children into Class 1. Gurgaon's project coordinator for the scheme, Manoj Lakhra, told TOI on Tuesday that 365 govt schools in the district offer kindergarten education. "However, 17 schools in Gurgaon reported zero admissions. Most of these schools are in rural areas or small hamlets, where population density is very low. In some villages, only two or three children may be born in a year. In such cases, these children often attend nearby private crèches instead," Lakhra said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Other than the preference for private school education, Lakhra said, another challenge for the Bal Vatika scheme was the lack of dedicated staff. "Class 1 teachers have been asked to handle Bal Vatika students too. This, too, makes some parents sceptical about govt education and prompts them to choose private schools," he said. Still, the education department is trying to promote enrollment by organising rallies, conducting meetings with school management committees (SMCs) and motivating school heads. "Our aim is not only to support working parents who want to enroll their children early, but also to strengthen govt school enrollment by bridging the early childhood education gap. Bal Vatika is aligned with the goal of holistic and preparatory learning for young children," Lakhra said. Asked about low enrolment, an education department official said the Bal Vatika programme was still in early stages of implementation, with just a year having passed since it was launched. "In some govt schools, the overall enrollment is also low. They have just 20–25 children in total. So, naturally, the number of children in Bal Vatika is also low in such schools," the official said. He explained that many families are not aware of the Bal Vatika scheme, and instead, send their children to anganwadi centres. He said anganwadi centres also offer kindergarten education, but these facilities also focus on providing nutrition and health check-ups to children under the age of 6 along with women who are pregnant or new mothers. "In contrast, Bal Vatika was introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) and aims to formalize pre-school education for children aged 3-6, with focus on literacy, numeracy and school readiness. While anganwadis emphasise holistic child development and welfare, Bal Vatikas are more education-centric," the official said. According to govt figures, 64,000 children have enrolled under Bal Vatika scheme in Haryana so far.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Horticulture is flourishing in India: Dr Himanshu
Bagalkot: Horticulture in India is flourishing and the production in it has exceeded that in agriculture, said Professor Himanshu Pathak, director general, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad. Delivering his address at the 14th annual convocation of University of Horticulture Sciences (UHS) here on Tuesday, he said the production in horticulture in India stood at 362 million tonnes and there is need to focus on developing this sector further. India is aiming at becoming Viksit Bharat by 2047 and the youths have a greater role to play in realising this mission. Nearly 50 percent of India's population depends on agriculture and it is imperative that the youths should be engaged more in farming and ensure enhancement of production as well as value addition, Prof Pathak said. He also called upon the fresh graduates to find solutions to the problems that crop up from time to time and help the farmers. Chancellor of the university and governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, who conferred the degrees and presented the gold medals and prizes, hailed the increased entry of women in the study of agriculture and horticulture sciences. University VC Vishnuvardhan said UHS Bagalkot is the topper among seven horticulture universities in the country in getting Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Bother With An Expensive Will (Do This Instead) Local Will Finder Undo Stating that the students have been encouraged to take up research on the problems faced by the farmers, the VC said the varsity needs another 500 acres and a proposal has been sent to the government in this connection. As many as 508 candidates were conferred degree in BSc Horticulture and BTech, 144 in MSc while 42 were conferred PhD at the convocation. As many as 95 gold medals, including 25 instituted by the university, were presented to the achievers. UHS registrar Mahadev Muragi, director of instruction N K Hegde, research director B Fakruddin and director of extension Venkateshalu were present. BOX Gold Medallists Sahana Patage and Bheemavva Karkihalli, who won 17 and 16 gold medals respectively in BSc (Horticulture), emerged as the 'Golden Girls'. Other Gold Medallists are: PhD: PR Pavan (four), M Mahalakshmi, Vandana Virupaksha (two each). MSc: Dhanyashri SG, HT Amulya (four each), Sachin Modagin (three), MS Supriya (two), BH Harshita, Kune Lavanya, CS Karthik, Harsha Patil, B Chandana, Kavya Jagadish and M Likhitgowda (one each). BSc Horticulture: Ramyashri Gangoti, Pallavi L (four each), KM Nityashri, Nandita Nayak (three each), Priyanka TK, BS Prakruti, Prateeksha, Arun Hegde, Vijay Balaji Yadav, Rekha Ramappa Teli (two each), K Chaitra, R Jayavardhan, K Salma, Laxmi Nagappa, Kashamma Ishwar Pawadi, Mahesh Baburao and KM Asha (one each).
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius enjoys social media revival
Representative AI image "Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig." Wise statements like this can be found in the "Meditations" of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 C.E.). He had never intended these reflections for publication, having written them purely for himself, but they have become some of the most widely read writings after the Bible and the Quran. A bestseller, so to speak, which has been translated into numerous languages worldwide. Known today as a philosopher-king, Marcus Aurelius ruled at a time marked by crises and catastrophes. He ascended to the throne in 161 C.E., just a few years before the Marcomannic Wars (166-180 C.E.) — the Marcomanni were Germanic tribes — which would shake the Roman Empire to its foundations. In addition, he faced economic problems, social tensions and the spread of the Antonine Plague, a form of smallpox, throughout his territory. 'You have power over your mind, not outside events' Equanimity — that was one of the basic principles of Marcus Aurelius, who was a great fan of the Stoics, an ancient school of philosophy founded by the Greek Zeno of Citium in 300 B.C.E. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Marcus Aurelius wanted to be a good ruler, but what is good governance? That question, which remains relevant to this day, was of great concern to him, as reflected in his "Meditations." But his contemporaries would never have read his writings, according to archaeologist Marcus Reuter, director of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Trier. "The Romans also never saw him as a philosopher-king. His writings were never made public during his lifetime. He wrote for himself, in the quiet of his room in the evening." Aurelius only acquired the image of the philosopher-king after the publication of his "Meditations" in the 15th or 16th century. Reuter and historian Viola Skiba, director of the Stadtmuseum Simeonstift in Trier, have co-curated a joint exhibition, in each of their institutions, on Marcus Aurelius, set to run from June 15 to November 23, 2025. Skiba said the themes of the exhibition are more current than they had anticipated. The question of what good leadership looks like has taken on a new urgency, especially in these crisis-ridden and polarised times. At the same time, the question is as old as human history itself, and was clearly a focus in the ancient world. Donald Trump 'not a role model' What, according to Marcus Aurelius, distinguishes good governance? "Basically, it is guided by the cardinal virtues of antiquity," said Skiba. Those desirable virtues include wisdom, justice, prudence and moderation. A key concept is the "orientation toward the common good," acting in a way that truly benefits the community as a whole. "This is, so to speak, also what separates a good ruler from a bad one according to [the Greek philosopher] Aristotle." Reuter added that Marcus Aurelius would most likely have considered Donald Trump "not a good leader, and certainly not a role model." But of course, Marcus Aurelius was a product of his time, who grew up within the social structures of antiquity. "There was slavery, and not even Marcus Aurelius wanted to abolish it," said Reuter. The emperor also did not question "that there were people with and without Roman civil rights, or that women did not have the same rights as men." From today's perspective, it may also seem odd to consider as virtuous an emperor who waged brutal wars. "According to ancient standards, the emperor was expected to ensure the security of the empire and protect its inhabitants — even by very brutal means if necessary," said Reuter. "He was extensively involved in court cases. He endeavoured to pass just judgments, and always put the interests of the state first," added Reuter. The construction of the Porta Nigra in Trier — today the city's famous landmark — can also be traced back to Marcus Aurelius. It was part of the city wall that Aurelius had built to protect its citizens. 'Very little is needed to make a happy life' Aphorisms like the above can seem like mockery coming from a wealthy emperor, but they were meant sincerely. Indeed, Marcus Aurelius cultivated a rather modest lifestyle and even had imperial household items — his private assets — auctioned off when the state was in financial crisis. "As far as I know, no Roman emperor before or after him did that," said Reuter. Marcus Aurelius also apparently spent a lot of time pondering the meaning of life, which is presumably the reason so many young people nowadays are interested in him and his writings. In Reuter's estimation, "his 'Meditations' are a little treasure trove containing something to address nearly every situation in life." Reuter pointed out that Marcus Aurelius' writings don't lend themselves to being read from front to back, but are well-suited to dipping into to find inspiration. They are, after all, the private musings of someone who spent time thinking about what was truly important in life. So it's small wonder that quotes by the Roman emperor can be found all over social media. The exhibition in Trier builds on this contemporary interest in Marcus Aurelius and the topics that occupied him. It's designed to inspire visitors from all over the world to reflect on themselves, society and what a long-ago Roman emperor still has to say to us today. Or, as Skiba put it, "Every society is based on individuals, and if each and every individual asks themselves these philosophical and political questions, then it also works as a whole."
