Birds in Rp:lation to Agriculti-re in New York vState 1783 



and very well-developed ears. The ears undoubtedly assist the bird in 

 following its prey, consisting largely of mice, through the long grass of the 

 fields and marshes which it inhabits. In addition to mice, the marsh 

 hawk feeds on snakes, frogs, insects, and small birds. Occasionally it 

 takes young chickens or small ducks; but of 124 stomachs examined by 

 Dr. Fisher, only 7 showed any sign of ha\dng taken poultry. This is 

 therefore a highl}^ beneficial 

 species, deserving of pro- 

 tection. 



Broad-winged or fan-tailed 

 hawks. — The second type 

 includes the red-shouldered, 

 red-tailed, rough-legged, 

 and broad-winged species. 

 They are alike in possess- 

 ing broad, rounded wings, 

 and broad, comparatively 

 short tails which they usu- 

 ally spread in a fan-like 

 manner while soaring. They 

 are the most conspicuous 

 of all the hawks, being 

 often seen soaring in great 

 circles overhead. Because 

 of their conspicuousness 

 they have had to suffer for 

 all the crimes of their more 

 crafty relatives, and are 

 frequently known as hen 

 hawks or chicken hawks. 

 As a matter of fact they 

 seldom, if ever, visit the 

 poultry yard, and the few 

 times that they do are more than offset by the nimibers of obnoxious 

 rodents that they destroy. Of 105 stomachs of the rough-legged and 

 broad-winged species examined, not one contained poultry; of 782 of 

 the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, only 57 contained poultry or 

 game birds. 



Falcons. — The third type has rather heavy shoulders, short, pointed 

 wings, and narrow tail. In this type are included the duck hawk, the 

 pigeon hawk, and the sparrow hawk, but the last named is the only one of 

 sufficiently general occurrence to have great importance in the State. It is 

 common in most parts of the State about the borders of woods and pas- 



FiG. 14. 



-Immature red-shouldered hawk, a beneficial 

 species 



