LITTLE SPARROW HAWK 125 



Nesting. — J. Stuart Rowley writes to me that five nests of this 

 sparrow hawk were located near Mira Flores, Lower California, from 

 May 11 to May 15, 1933, from which five sets of heavily incubated 

 eggs were taken. All the nests were in old woodpeckers' holes in the 

 topmost parts of the cardons (giant cacti), approximately 35 feet 

 from the ground. He says: 



Locating the nests was tedious work. In each instance a male would be spotted 

 perched on a cardon. It was learned that the breeding male was never very far 

 from the brooding female, so a systematic search would start. The extension 

 ladder was set up to every cardon in a reasonable area adjacent to where the 

 undisturbed male was first seen resting. Each likely looking cavity was chopped 

 out until we were rewarded with a discovery or until we became weary and had 

 to give it up. We found that no amount of pounding on the cardon, in which 

 subsequently a brooding female would be found, would flush her from the eggs. 

 The females remained in the holes until the chopping was well done before 

 "exploding" in one's face. The eggs were placed on a few chips of the giant 

 cactus; and the bottoms of the cavities, where the eggs were deposited, were 

 about 16 to 18 inches below the entrance holes. 



Eggs. — -The San Lucas sparrow hawk lays from two to four eggs. 

 Mr. Rowley took one set of four, two sets of three, and two sets of 

 two, all heavily incubated. The eggs resemble those of other North 

 American sparrow hawks in color but are noticeably smaller. The 

 measurements of 11 eggs average 33.3 by 27.7 millimeters; the eggs 

 showing the four extremes measure 35.3 by 28.2, 31.5 by 27.2, and 32 

 by 27 millimeters. 



FALCO SPARVERIUS PAULUS (Howe and King) 

 LITTLE SPARROW HAWK 



HABITS 



Reginald Heber Howe, Jr. (1902) described and named this small 

 Florida race from a type collected near Miami. He calls it "the 

 smallest of the American Sparrow Hawk group. Rufous of upper 

 parts very dark, particularly on the rectrices. Tail and wings short. 

 Bill large and heavy." He says further: "The resident Sparrow 

 Hawk of Florida has been referred to several races, but is undoubtedly 

 different from any already described. In fact it is one of the most 

 distinctly separable races of this most interesting group on account 

 of its very short tail. It differs from northeastern examples in that 

 its colors arc darker, and in its materially smaller size. From C. s. 

 isabellinus (Swains.) of northern South America to which it has been 

 referred, it differs in that its upper colors are darker and that its 

 throat is immaculate, while in size it is even smaller, its tail being over 

 ten millimeters shorter." 



Courtship. — C. J. Pennock says in his notes: "The 'quivering' 

 flight is rarely ever seen except during the mating season. Then, not 

 infrequently, both birds practice it at the same time, in a short and 



