LAND BIRDS. 273 



less perfect black bar. The immature birds are readily confused with other 

 species. 



Distribution. — Eastern North America, west to the Great Plains, north 

 to about latitude 60°, south to eastern Mexico. Breeds throughout most 

 of its range. 



This is one of the two most abundant buzzard hawks, commonly called 

 Hen Hawks, often seen floating in circles or spirals far aloft, especially 

 over the uplands. It seems to prefer open country, or 

 at least regions not too heavily timbered, and its food 

 consists almost entirely of meadow-mice, rats, ground 

 squirrels, rabbits, and an occasional snake, frog, or fish. 

 Like other hawks it sometimes gets into bad habits and 

 may then visit the poultry yard many times in succession 

 carrying away fowl after fowl unless trapped or shot. 

 As a rule, however, it feeds almost entirely upon mammals p. ^.-, 



and must be considered an extremely beneficial bird. Bin of Red^taiifd 



Out of 473 stomachs reported upon by Dr. A. K. ^''''^■ 



Fisher, 54 contained poultry or game birds; 51, other birds; 278, mice; 

 131, other mammals; 37, batrachians or reptiles; 47, insects; 8, crayfish; 

 1, centipedes; and 13, offal. It is no uncommon thing to find the remains 

 of 5 or 6 meadow-mice in a single stomach and in many localities during 

 the fall and winter it feeds almost exclusively upon small rodents. 



While wheeling high in the air its common call-note is "kee-aah" as 

 written by Captain Bendire. While perched, often on the top of some 

 tall and conspicuous tree, it is usually silent. 



The nest is a bulky structure of sticks and twigs lined with smaller twigs 

 and some bark, and usually a few feathers after the eggs are laid. It is 

 placed high up in a large tree, sometimes in the thick woods but more 

 often near the edges of wooded areas, or in single trees in the ojDen. The 

 eggs in Michigan are commonly two or three in number, but occasionally 

 four are found. They are laid earlier than those of the Red-shouldered 

 Hawk, often as early as the last week in March, and usually before the^ 

 middle of April. Of thirty-one nests found by the late R. B. Westnedge, 

 in Kalamazoo county, ten contained eggs the last week in March, thii'teen 

 between April first and 10th, seven during the rest of April, and only one 

 in May (the 10th). The eggs vary much in color and markings, pei'haps 

 one-fourth of them being dirty white and unspotted, while the remainder 

 are spotted and blotched, sparsely or thickly, faintly or heavily, in endless 

 variation. They average 2.38 by 1.81 inches. 



Tliis hawk is rarely if ever found in Michigan in winter, but arrives from 

 the south very early, usually before the middle of March, and remains until 

 mid-October or later. Fiequently it migrates southward in straggling 

 flocks of considerable size, either wheeling in wide circles and drifting stead- 

 ily southward, or alternately flapping and sailing, usually across the wind, 

 and thus carried steadily to leeward. During fine weather in late autumn 

 scores or even hundreds of Red-tails may be seen thus during a single day. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Four outer primaries notched on inner webs. Adult: Dark brown above, more or 

 less mixed or mottled with gray and whitisii; under parts white or wliitish, usually wa.>^hed 

 with bufi on the .sides of breast, only the belly streaked witli dark brown or blackisli; 

 tail bright rust-red (rufous) above, usually with a distinct black bar near the end, the 

 tip whitish; iris brown. Iiiunature: Similar, but the dark streaks on the belly so thick 

 35 



