Incidence of Naturally-healed Fractures in the Pectoral Bones of North American Accipiters

jury falls. Studies of fractures in wild populations are potentially useful in testing this theory. Few such studies have been published. In this study, we focused on healed fractures to the pectoral girdle in three species of Accipit• Members of this genus are specialized forest predators that primarily use a series of perch and scan periods from the concealment of tree branches m•d bushes before chasing prey (Bent 1937). The Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), primarily a small-bird predator, Cooper's Hawk (A. cooperi•), and Northern Goshawk (A. gentilis), both more generalized small-mammal and bird predators, hunt in this manner (Reynolds and Meslow 1984). This type of hunting behavior may lead to collisions with branches and other such obstacles. Therefore, evidence of fractures should be present in these species, given that the cost of such injury is low enough to enable individuals to recover.