Thanks for the name--I knew you would know. I'm going to post a pic of a hawk? that was hanging around our house a couple of weeks ago--nabbing birds. We saw him do this twice. The second time, I got a pic of him up on the roof with his kill. You can kinda see the bird underneath him. I know he's got to eat, but I felt sorry for the little bird he nabbed. Nature is cruel :(
Looks like a mature Cooper's hawk. It's an accipiter, which to put it bluntly: It eats other birds!
I got 'em out here in the desert too. They love quail.
Fun to watch, but, yes, nature can be cruel to human eyes.