276 SPARROW HAWK 



Sparrow Hawk : Falco sparverius. 

 (Fig. 167, p. 277.) 



Adult male, upper parts reddish brown and bluish, barred with 

 black ; tail reddish brown, with a broad black band near end ; 

 black stripes on sides of head ; under parts reddish brown, some- 

 what spotted with black. Female, back, wings, and tail barred 

 with black ; under parts streaked with brown. Length, 10 

 inches. 



Geographic Distribution. — Breeds from Florida to Hudson 

 Bay. and winters from New Jersey southward to northern 

 South America. 



This little striped-faced Hawk is often found 

 perched on a dead limb of a tree, or seen, like 

 the Kingbird, hovering in mid air over a field, 

 holding itself up with rapidly beating wings 

 and tail. In both cases it is probably watching 

 for its dinner, waiting to pounce on some unsus- 

 pecting grasshopper or cricket, for they supply 

 its table in summer. In winter it may sometimes 

 be seen on poles about haystacks, lying in wait for 

 a more substantial meal of mice. 



In some sections the Sparrow Hawk is known 

 as the ' Killy Hawk,' from its cry of hiUy-ldUy- 

 killy -hilly. 



Curiously enough, while the other Hawks build 

 large twig nests high in trees, the Sparrow Hawk 

 hides its brood inside a hollow branch, or even in 

 a Woodpecker's deserted nest, sometimes putting 

 up with a hole too small for it, one which it has 

 much ado to get in and out of. 



In watching the aerial performances of the 



