WYOMING Birpbs. AI 
ORDER XII. RAPTORES. 
CATHARTIDAE (American Vultures). 
The Vultures feed upon carrion. In some localities they are 
regarded as valuable scavengers, while in others they are disliked 
as nuisances. They may be the means of spreading hog cholera. 
REFERENCES: 
1. “Birds in Their Relation to Man,” Weed and Dearborn, pp. 
215-218. 
> Circular No. 76, U.-S. Biological Survey, pp. 9-10. 
325. Cathartes aura septentrionalis: Turkey Vulture. 
Rather uncommon summer resident over the eastern half 
of the state. Our most westerly record is by Blackwelder 
in the Teton region. 
BUTEONIDAE (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, etc.). 
The Hawks are valuable to the agriculturist in Wyoming, be- 
cause they consume great numbers of destructive rodents and in- 
sects. The Marsh Hawk and Swainson’s Hawk are the two most 
important ones in this state. Their crops are always filled with 
mice and gophers. The Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and 
Goshawk are not protected because of their preference for birds. 
The Bald Eagle feeds both upon carrion and animals which it cap- 
tures by its own efforts. It is fond of fish and eats many which it 
finds washed up on the shore or which it steals from the Osprey. 
The Eagle also feeds upon ducks, geese and other game birds, as 
well as wild mammals of various kinds (rodents, mostly). It has 
been known also to attack domestic animals. The Eagle can, there- 
fore, not be defended altogether, but it should be protected for its 
aesthetic value to the country. 
REFERENCES: > 
1. Biological Survey Bulletin No. 27. 
2. Biological Survey Circular No. 61. 
3. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 497, pp. 26-29. 
331. Circus hudsonius: Marsh Hawk. 
Common summer resident over almost the entire state at 
the lower altitudes. 
