The Killers: The Tale of a Fighting Cock and a Wild Hawk

A showdown ensues between a bird of prey and a barnyard rooster in this masterpiece of nature fiction from the author of The Fox and the Hound.

Whitehackle comes from a long line of fighting cocks, but exceeds expectations as he rises to the top of the pecking order. His reputation grows when he chases off a fox and attacks a hawk in gallant defense of one his hens. The arrogant rooster is now king of the barnyard, but the hawk still circles above . . .

A female Cooper’s hawk, Ishmael, has few natural enemies. Life itself is her greatest foe—and survive she must, to mate and nest and raise her young. Even a gunshot can’t stop this courageous bird—yet she may have met her match in Whitehackle . . .

The day-to-day life of hawk and rooster collide in a fragile environment encroached upon by modern forces in a story of predation—both animal and human.

“A very compelling tale. . . . Mannix, who has spent most of his life near and with animals, treads it with a sure foot and a clear-eyed unsentimental approach. Like the nature he writes about, he makes no apologies and asks no special indulgence—and he writes a very readable book.” —Sports Illustrated

“Mannix shifts back and forth between natural enemies, dramatizing but not fictionalizing their life experiences in thoroughly entertaining information writing. . . . He’s combined a mass of wild bird lore with a coopful of material on the complex social structure and behavior patterns of domestic poultry. Bet your nestegg on it.” —Kirkus Reviews

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Release date

Ebook: 1 April 2025