THE BIRD BOOK 



337. Red-tailed Hawk. 



Buieo borealis borealis. 



This is one of the handsomest of the larger 

 hawks, and is the best known in the east, 



Red-tailed Hawk 



Pale bluish white 



where it is commonly, but wrongly, designated as "hen hawk", a name, how- 

 ever, which is indiscriminately applied to any bird that has talons and a hooked 

 beak. The adult of this species is unmistakable because of its reddish brown 

 tail; young birds are very frequently confounded with other species. Their 

 food consists chiefly of small rodents, snakes and lizards, and only occasionally 

 are poultry or birds taken. They nest in the tallest trees in large patches of 

 woods, the nests being made of sticks, weeds, leaves and trash. The eggs 

 number from two to four, and are white, sometimes heavily, and sometimes 

 sparingly, blotched and spotted with various shades of brown. Size 2.35 x 1.80. 



337a. Krider's Hawk. Buteo borealis krideri. 



Range. — Plains of the United States, north to Manitoba. 



This sub-species is described as lighter on the underparts, which are almost 

 immaculate. Its nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the pre- 

 ceding. 



337b. Western Red-tail. Buteo borealis calnrus. 



Range. — Western North America, 

 chiefly west of the Rocky Moun- 

 ^ ' ■ tains. 



This sub-species varies from the 

 plumage of the eastern Red-tail, to 

 a nearly uniform sooty above and 

 below, with the dark red tail cross- 

 ed by several bands; it is a gener- 

 ally darker variety than the Red- 

 tail. Its nesting habits are thi; 

 same and the eggs show the great 

 variations in markings that are 

 common to the eastern bird. 



White 



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