SWALLOW-TAILED KITE
327. Elanoides forficatus. 24 in.
Tail long and deeply forked; plumage white, and glossy black; feet short
but stout; bill black, with cere and feet bluish-gray. The flight of
these birds is very swift and swallow-like; at times they circle about
for long periods, on motionless wings; at others, they will be seen
swooping over marshes and low ground; the evolutions they perform during
the mating season are wonderful to behold, floating, sailing, doubling
and turning, in all imaginable positions, as though they were a part of
the air itself.
Notes.—A shrill whistled “peet-peet.”
Nest.—Composed of twigs, lined with moss and rootlets; usually located
in the tops of trees at great heights; 90 to 125 feet from the ground
not being uncommon; eggs pale bluish-white, very handsomely marked with
brown (1.85 × 1.5).
Range.—Breeds north to Virginia, Manitoba and Minnesota; winters south
of the United States.
[Illustration: ]
WHITE-TAILED KITE
328. Elanus leucurus. 16 in.
Head, underparts and tail, white; shoulders black; upperparts gray.
Young, with the back tinged with rusty. Their food consists largely of
snakes, but they also eat a great many small rodents and insects.
Nest.—Made of sticks, weeds and leaves, and placed in trees at quite an
elevation from the ground; eggs creamy white, profusely blotched with
brown.
Range.—Texas to central California, and less often east of the Miss.
River, north to South Carolina.
MISSISSIPPI KITE
329. Ictinia mississippiensis. 14 in.
Head, underparts and ends of secondaries, bluish-gray. Lores and tail
black; back dark; eyes red.
Nest.—Of sticks and weeds in the tops of tall trees; eggs bluish white,
usually unmarked, but occasionally with a few brownish specks (1.65 ×
1.25).
Range.—Breeds north to South Carolina, southern Illinois and Kansas;
winters south of the United States.
[Illustration: ]
EVERGLADE KITE
330. Rostrhamus sociabilis. 15 in.
Bill very slender and much hooked, the lower mandible being decurved
somewhat, to match the upper; the cutting edge of the bill without a
tooth or notch, as most hawks and kites have. Lores naked and yellowish,
like the cere; eyes red. Plumage blackish; rump and bases of outer tail
feathers, as well as tip white. This tropical species is found in the
United States, only in the southern half of Florida, in the densest
swamps, being fairly abundant in the Everglades. They are said to feed
exclusively upon a certain species of water snail, and each bird has a
particular perch to which he takes every snail he captures, and after
skillfully extracting the animal with its curiously modified beak, it
drops the shell on the mound beneath. (Bendire).
Nest.—Of twigs, lined with leaves and weeds, placed at low elevations in
bushes or underbrush, often over water; eggs pale greenish-white,
spotted with brown.
Range.—Southern Florida.
[Illustration: ]
MARSH HAWK
331. Circus hudsonius. 19 in.
Upper tail coverts and base of tail white. Male, blue-gray above; below,
whitish, streaked and barred with rusty. Female and young.—Above rusty
brownish-black; below rusty with dusky streaks on the breast and sides.
As shown by its name, this hawk is found most abundantly in or around
marshes or wet meadows. I have found them especially abundant in boggy
marshes such as frequented by bitterns. Their flight is quiet and
owl-like, and as they do most of their feeding toward dusk, they often
seem like owls as they flit by without a sound. Their food is composed
chiefly of meadow mice and moles, which they spy and dash down upon as
they fly at low elevations.
Notes.—A shrill whistle when their nest is approached.
Nest.—Of grasses, on the ground in marshes; four plain bluish-white eggs
(1.80 × 1.40); May, June.
Range.—Breeds locally in the whole of the United States and Canada,
north to Hudson Bay; winters in the southern half of the United States.
[Illustration: ]
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
332. Accipiter velox. 12 in.
This little hawk, so near like the Cooper, is one of the most active of
the family, and from this fact it gets its name _velox_, meaning swift.
It is often seen in woods, orchard, or even about buildings in large
cities, in which latter places, it does good service in catching English
Sparrows. If they would confine their food to these birds, no one would
object, but unfortunately they will take any little bird that comes
within their reach, or that they are able to catch. They are one of the
very few hawks that do live largely upon birds, and even they destroy a
great many mice.
Notes.—A shrill, three-syllabled whistle.
Nest.—A rude and usually frail structure of twigs, placed in branches of
trees, usually at quite low elevations (15 ft.). Eggs white, beautifully
blotched with brown (1.45 × 1.15).
Range.—Breeds chiefly in northern U. S. and Canada; winters throughout
the United States.
[Illustration: ]
COOPER HAWK
333. Accipiter cooperi. 16 in.
This hawk is a large edition of the last species. All hawks vary in
size, this one and the last, perhaps, more than any others. Female hawks
are always the largest. A large female of the Sharp-shinned variety, is
often as large as a small male Cooper, but the crown of the Cooper is
darker than that of the Sharp-shinned, and his tail is always rounded,
while that of the last species is nearly square at the end. This is also
a destructive species; it is usually one of these two hawks, or the
Goshawk, that is responsible for the ill-feeling with which farmers
regard all of the family. All small hawks are known to farmers as
“Chicken Hawks,” and large ones as “Hen Hawks,” but the majority of our
hawks rarely disturb fowls.
Nest.—Of sticks in crotches of trees, usually quite high up; often old
crows’ nests are used; eggs bluish-white, unmarked or very faintly
specked with brown. (1.90 × 1.45); April.
Range.—Breeds from the Gulf north to southern Canada; winters from Mass.
and Oregon southward.
[Illustration: ]
AMERICAN GOSHAWK
334. Astur atricapillus. 23 in.
Adults, above bluish-slate, darkest on the crown; a whitish line over
the eye; below white, finely waved with gray. Young, brownish-black,
with lighter edgings to the feathers; below whitish, streaked with
blackish-brown. Young birds can easily be distinguished from those of
any other species by their large size and the long tail. This handsome
species is one of the most rapacious and destructive of our birds of
prey. Their short wings and long tail enable them to glide among the
thickest foliage with great speed, and even the Ruffled Grouse cannot
escape them. In the north where they live in summer, they destroy great
numbers of Ptarmigan and Spruce Grouse, and come to us in the winter
with their appetite whetted for a diet of poultry and our game birds,
being exceedingly bold in their capture.
Nest.—Of sticks lined with weeds and bark, in tall trees; eggs white,
unmarked.
Range.—Breeds throughout Canada; winters in the northern half of the
United States.
[Illustration: ]
HARRIS HAWK
335. Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi. 20 in.
Tail coverts, base and tip of tail, white. Adults with the shoulders,
thighs and under wing-coverts, reddish-brown. Young with rusty edgings
to feathers on the back; below, rusty buff with blackish spots or
streaks; thighs barred with blackish. Space in front of eye, bare except
for stiff hair-like bristles, yellowish like the cere. This species is
the connecting link between the vultures and hawks of the genus _buteo_.
Its feedings habits are similar to those of the vultures, with which it
often associates when feeding upon carrion. They are very sluggish birds
and their flight is slow and heavy; when not feeding they are usually
perched on one foot on some dead limb, dozing.
Nest.—Made of sticks, twigs and weeds, placed in bushes or low trees.
Their three or four eggs are dull white, unmarked (2.10 × 1.65).
Range.—Mexico, north to southern United States chiefly in Texas, but
also found in New Mexico and casually east to Louisiana.
[Illustration: ]
RED-TAILED HAWK
337. Buteo borealis. 21 in.
One of the handsomest and most powerfully built of our hawks. Adults
with the tail rusty-red, with or without a narrow blackish band near the
tip; below white, with a band of blackish streaks across the breast, and
dusky markings on the sides. Young birds are similar, but have the tail
grayish-brown with black bands. An examination of the food of this bird
of prey, made by the Department of Agriculture, shows that, instead of
living upon poultry as most farmers think, their food consists chiefly
of frogs, snakes, lizards, mice and insects, less than one in ten of the
stomachs examined containing any remains of poultry.
Notes.—A shrill whistle or scream.
Nest.—Of sticks, weeds, leaves and trash high up in tall trees; eggs
white, spotted with blackish-brown.
Range.—Breeds in United States and Southern Canada; winters in the
United States. 337a., Krider Hawk is a paler race found on the plains
from Minn. to Texas. 337d., Harlan Hawk, is darker and has the tail
mottled with blackish; found in the Gulf States.
[Illustration: ]
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
339. Buteo lineatus. 19 in.
Adults with the shoulders bright reddish-brown; primaries and
secondaries barred with black and white; below buffy thickly barred with
rusty-brown. Young with the shoulders duller; underparts white, streaked
all over with blackish-brown. This is one of the most abundant of the
birds of prey in Eastern United States, and it is also one of the most
useful, destroying quantities of moles and field mice, as well as
grasshoppers. Usually one or more pairs will be found in a piece of
woods. One pair that I know, and I presume it is the same pair, each
year has its nest on the edge of a colony of Black-crowned Night Herons
and, during the season, they live and feed their young largely upon the
young of these birds.
Nest.—Of sticks, lined with weeds and strips of bark; eggs white,
blotched with brown (2.15 × 1.75). April, May.
Range.—Breeds from the Gulf to Maine and Minnesota. 339a. Fla.
Red-Shouldered Hawk, found in Florida and north to So. Car., is paler
colored.
[Illustration: ]
SENNETT WHITE-TAILED HAWK
341. Buteo albicaudatus sennetti. 22 in.
Adults grayish-slate above and to the sides of the throat; tail and
underparts white, the former with a subterminal band of black and
indistinct wavy lines and the latter with fine barring on the sides. The
shoulders are largely chestnut. Young birds are brownish-black above and
usually white below, but the underparts are variable—often streaked with
rusty and blackish, or even wholly black.
They are useful hawks, their food consisting chiefly of insects and
moles or mice.
Nest.—Built in bushes in open land, rarely more than six feet above
ground. Composed of sticks, dry weeds and grasses making a bulky
structure visible for a long distance. Three eggs are not uncommon but
two is the usual number; they are dirty white with very few marks of
brown (2.35 × 1.85). Their nesting season ranges from as early as
February to July.
Range.—Not uncommon on the Gulf coast of Texas and in the lower Rio
Grande Valley, southwards into South America.
[Illustration: ]
SWAINSON HAWK
342. Buteo swainsoni. 20 in.
This species has the greatest variety of plumages of any of our hawks.
It has only three outer primaries notched near the tips, while the two
last species, which are the only ones that can be confused with it, have
four. Adults in the light phase have a band of rich chestnut across the
breast. Adults in the dark phase are uniform blackish-brown, with some
rusty edgings and with thighs more or less rusty. Young birds are buffy
below, with elongated blackish spots. Its harmless character can be
understood from the fact that it is no unusual sight to find other
birds, such as Arkansas Kingbird and Bullock Oriole, nesting in the same
tree; and the first mentioned species goes even further than this,
sometimes constructing its home in the sides of the nests of the hawks.
Nest.—Of sticks and twigs, either in trees or on the ground on rocky
ledges; eggs white, spotted with brown (2.20 × 1.70).
Range.—Western N. A., breeding from Texas to the Arctic regions; east to
Illinois and west to the Pacific.
[Illustration: ]
BROAD-WINGED HAWK
343. Buteo platypterus. 16 in.
Adults grayish-brown above; below, streaked on the throat and breast,
and barred below, with rusty-brown; tail with three blackish bars. Young
similar above; below white, streaked with blackish-brown. They are most
apt to be confused with the Cooper and Red-Shouldered Hawk, but when in
flight, it can usually be distinguished at a distance, from the former
by its shorter tail, and from the latter by its smaller size and rounded
wings. They may be classed as abundant east of the Great Plains. They
are rather solitary in their habits, especially during the breeding
season, when but one pair is usually found in a piece of woods.
Notes.—A long, squeaking wail, sounding much like two branches rubbing
together and creaking.
Nest.—Of sticks, invariably lined with pieces of bark; usually placed in
crotches next to the trunks of large trees, but not usually at a great
height; eggs whitish, more or less blotched with brown and gray.
Range.—Breeds north to New Brunswick and Manitoba; winters in southern
half of the United States.
[Illustration: ]
AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
347a. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. 22 in.
Legs feathered to the toes. Adults blackish on the back and belly; head
and breast, more or less grayish-white, streaked with dusky; tail white,
barred on the end with black; eyes brown. In the dark phase they are
blackish-brown, more or less mixed with rusty. This large, heavily-built
species is found in the United States, only in winter; it frequents
thinly wooded districts or meadows, where it catches its prey, which
consists of small rodents, insects and reptiles. It is very irregular in
its appearance, especially in the east, but it is most often found near
the coast. It is a sluggish species and I doubt if it does any harm to
wild birds or to poultry; it certainly does a great deal of good.
Nest.—Of sticks, on rocky ledges; eggs bluish-white, boldly splashed
with brown (1.90 × 1.55).
Range.—Breeds north of the United States border; winters in northern
United States.
[Illustration: ]
FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
348. Archibuteo ferrugineus. 23 in.
Legs feathered to the toes. Adults with back, shoulders, thighs and
legs, rusty, barred or streaked with black; tail grayish-white, tinged
with rusty. Young birds are brownish-black, above and without any rusty
below. In the dark phase they are sooty-brown, more or less varied with
rusty, and the tail is the same as in the light plumage. Their bill is
larger and tail longer than that of the last species. A fairly abundant
hawk on the plains and prairies west of the Miss., usually not at a
great distance from water.
Nest.—Usually on the ground on bluffs or rocky ledges, but sometimes in
trees; made of sticks and weeds; sometimes used year after year, and
then becoming bulky, as it is added to each year; eggs white, handsomely
spotted and blotched with blackish-brown, very variable.
Range.—Breeds west of the Miss., from Kansas, locally, and the Dakotas,
abundantly, north to Saskatchewan. Winters south to Mexico.
[Illustration: ]
GOLDEN EAGLE
349. Aquila chryœtos. 35 in.
Legs feathered to the toes. Plumage blackish-brown, adults having the
lengthened feathers on the nape, golden-brown, and the tail more or less
mixed with white; leg feathers rusty. These large, handsome, well-built
birds of prey are fairly abundant in thinly settled country west of the
Miss., especially in mountains and foot-hills. They are very powerful
birds and a single pair of them will rule the whole country in which
they reside. They are very shy in the presence of man and will never
attack a person or show fight unless wounded or surprised at their
meals. Their food consist of prairie dogs, rodents, ducks and even
fawns.
Notes.—A shrill a “kee-kee-kee.”
Nest.—A very bulky structure of large sticks, lined with twigs, needles
and in some cases evergreen; eggs creamy-white, spotted, splashed and
clouded with various shades of brown and gray (2.90 × 2.50).
Range.—West of the Miss., from Mexico northward; rarely eastward to the
Atlantic coast.
[Illustration: ]
BALD EAGLE
352. Haliœetus leucocephalus. 34 in.
Legs not feathered to the toes. Adults with white head and tail. Young
birds similar in color to those of the Golden Eagle, but blacker and
with the legs always bare on the lower half. Young, with brown eyes,
like those of the last; adults with yellow eyes and feet. This handsome
bird of prey, our national emblem, is resident and locally distributed
throughout the United States and Canada, always near streams or lakes,
and most abundant on the seacoasts. Their food, like that of the Golden
Eagle, is chiefly caught by themselves, and consists of any small
mammals, geese, ducks, etc., and during the summer, or when their usual
food is scarce, they feed upon fish, which they either catch for
themselves or taken by force from Ospreys.
Nest.—Of sticks large and bulky, and usually in tops of very tall trees;
two eggs, pure white (2.75 × 2.10).
Range.—Resident locally in whole of North America.
[Illustration: ]
WHITE GRYFALCON
353. Falco islandus. 23 in.
Adults in perfect plumage, pure white, slightly barred on the back and
spotted below with black.
Nest.—Of sticks, lined with grasses and feathers; placed on ledges of
cliffs; eggs bulky white, specked with reddish brown, often so thickly
that the ground color is obscured (2.30 × 1.80).
Range.—Arctic region, breeding in Northern Greenland, and wintering to
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and casually to northern Maine.
GRAY GYRFALCON
354. Falco rusticolus. 23 in.
Adults white, heavily barred above, and streaked below with gray and
black.
Range.—Arctic regions, south in winter, rarely to northern United
States.
354a. GYRFALCON (F. r. gyrfalco). Similar to the last but darker, the
latter being usually more white than dusky, while this is the reverse.
354b. BLACK GYRFALCON (F. r. obsoletus). Much darker than the last, the
markings tending to be buffy white spots on a grayish black ground.
[Illustration: ]
PRAIRIE FALCON
355. Falco mexicanus. 18 in.
A blackish patch on the sides of the throat, similar to that of the Duck
Hawk. Above brownish black, much paler and never with the slaty color of
the Duck Hawk; below streaked or spotted with blackish brown. These
falcons are fairly abundant on the western plains and prairies, and are
also found in wooded mountain regions. They are strong and active and
will fight fiercely if captured. They live upon small mammals, birds and
occasionally, grouse. Their flight is very swift and accomplished by
rapid wing beats, with occasional sailings.
Notes.—A cackle, and rapidly repeated “kee-kee-kee.” (Bendire).
Nest.—A mass of sticks and trash, on bluffs or rocky ledges, and
sometimes in trees; eggs reddish buff, thickly sprinkled and blotched
with brown (2.50 × 1.60).
Range.—Eastern border of the Great Plains to the Pacific; and from
Saskatchewan to southern Mexico.
[Illustration: ]
DUCK HAWK
356a. Falco peregrinus anatum. 17 in.
Black moustache mark, or patch on each side of the throat. Adults white
below, tinged with buffy on the breast and sides, and lightly barred
with black; above bluish slate, darkest on the crown. Some adults are
darker, and much more heavily barred than others. Young, brownish black
with rusty edges to the feathers; below, buffy, heavily streaked with
blackish. This is one of the handsomest and most dashing of the
raptores, and is very similar to the one formerly most used for the
chase in England. They are swift and fearless in pursuit of their prey,
and the fastest flying ducks as well as the slower herons fall easy
victims to their valor. Their feet are exceptionally large, and they are
often, on this account, known as Great-footed Hawks.
Nest.—Eggs laid upon bare ledges or soil, with very little, if any,
nest. Bright buff, marked with rich rusty brown (2.05 × 1.55).
Range.—Breeds in Northern United States and Canada, most abundant west
of the Miss.
[Illustration: ]
PIGEON HAWK
357. Falco columbarius. 12 in.
Adult male, bluish slate above, with black shaft lines to the feathers;
below buffy on the breast, sides and thighs; streaked on the breast and
barred on the flanks with black; tail with four black bands. Female and
young, blackish brown above; below streaked with dusky. These little
falcons are very bold and courageous when led by the pangs of hunger,
chasing their prey close to human beings, and they have been known to
follow birds, which, in their fright, have dashed through windows in
houses. They live upon any of the smaller birds, as well as rodents,
grasshoppers and other insects.
Nest.—Usually a slight platform of twigs in trees, deep in the woods,
less often in cavities in trees, and sometimes on ledges; eggs buffy,
heavily blotched with chestnut (1.50 × 1.20).
Range.—Breeds chiefly north of the United States, but occasionally on
the northern border; winters in northern United States.
[Illustration: ]
RICHARDSON MERLIN
357b. Falco columbarius richardsonii. 12 in.
Both adults and young are similar to the same of the last species, but
they are much paler colored, and the tail is crossed by six light bars.
The habits of this species, which seems to have quite a limited range,
are precisely like those of the Pigeon Hawk. Like that species, it flies
swiftly, with rapidly beating wings, and occasionally sails and soars.
The under surface of the wings is prominently barred, but not as much so
as that of the Pigeon Hawk; it is very conspicuous when in flight.
Nest.—Either in hollow trees, or a rude platform of sticks, usually not
very high from the ground; eggs buffy white, handsomely blotched with
brown (1.60 × 1.25).
Range.—From the Miss. to the Rockies, and from Mexico north to
Saskatchewan, locally distributed.
[Illustration: ]
SPARROW HAWK
360. Falco sparverius. 10.5 in.
This is the smallest and one of the handsomest of our hawks. Cannot be
mistaken for any other species, because of its bright colors and odd
marking. The female is barred on the back, wings and tail, while the
male has but a few short bars on the back. The general tone of both,
above, is a bright rusty-brown. This is the most abundant hawk that we
have, and it is also best known, chiefly because it is found commonly in
the vicinity of farmhouses and commonly on the outskirts of cities.
Their flight is peculiar, a few rapid wing beats, then a short sail,
alternately. They are very noisy in mating season and when the young
birds first fly, their notes being a rapidly repeated,
“killy-killy-killy.” Their food is of grasshoppers, mice and rarely
small birds.
Nest.—Usually in cavities in trees, often in deserted Flicker holes, the
eggs being laid upon the bare wood. They are cream colored, finely
sprinkled and spotted with brown (1.35 × 1.10).
Range.—Breeds from the Gulf States to Labrador and Hudson Bay. Winters
in southern United States.
[Illustration: ]
AUDUBON CARACARA
362. Polyborus cheriway. 22 in.
These peculiar birds cannot be mistaken for any of our hawks or falcons.
They are very sluggish birds, with habits resembling both those of
buzzards and some of the hawks. They are usually known in localities
where they are found, as Caracara Eagles. As we might suspect from the
shape of their bill, the naked and bristle-covered lores, and the feet,
which have not the strongly hooked talons of hawks, the food of these
birds is largely carrion. It is terrestrial in its habits and is most
often seen, when not in flight, either upon the ground, or standing
erect on branches at low elevations. They are more quarrelsome in their
disposition than are vultures, and frequently fight over their prey.
Nest.—A bulky, but shabby pile of sticks and weeds, in bushes or low
trees; eggs buff, sprinkled, spotted or blotched with yellowish brown or
chestnut (2.50 × 1.80).
Range.—Resident of the Mexican border of the U. S. and in southern
Florida.
[Illustration: ]
AMERICAN OSPREY; FISH HAWK
364. Pandion haliætus carolinensis. 23 in.
Real old birds have the head whiter, and less white edging to the back
feathers, than do the young. Feet very strong, and very hard and rough,
perfectly adapted to grasping slippery fish; outer toe can be used
equally as well, either in front or behind, when perching or grasping
their prey. Their food is entirely of fish, which they catch themselves,
by plunging after it, hovering in the air a few seconds while watching
the fish, preparatory to diving upon it. They are always found about
water and are very numerous on the seacoasts, where twenty or more may
frequently be seen at a time. They are protected by law in some states,
and by public sentiment in most others.
Notes.—A loud, tremulous, piercing whistle.
Nest.—Usually in trees; large and bulky, of sticks; sometimes on the
ground, telegraph poles, chimneys, etc. Eggs creamy buff, blotched with
rich brown (2.40 × 1.80).
Range.—Breeds from the Gulf to Labrador and Alaska; winters in the
southern half of the U. S.
[Illustration: ]