EASTERN SPARROW HAWK 115 



William Brewster (1925), who "saw a Sparrow Hawk amusing himself 

 at the expense of two Flickers. Calling clac-lac-clac-lac-clac-lac he 

 would first hover over them for a few seconds, and then dart down 

 close past them, to rise and hover again. Whenever they took flight 

 he accompanied them, describing graceful curves and circles above 

 and around them. That all this was done without malice on his part 

 seemed obvious, and the Flickers evidently so interpreted it, for they 

 showed no fear of him and more than once flew into a tree where he 

 had just settled, alighting within a few feet of him." 



Earle R. Greene (1930), in Atlanta, Ga., saw a sparrow hawk 

 "uttering squeaky calls, dart several times toward and very close to 

 the Duck Hawk, which was on a ledge of the dome [of a building]. 

 The Duck Hawk flew away pursued by the Sparrow Hawk for some 

 distance." 



W. E. Cram (1901), showing the sparrow hawk in a hostile encounter 

 describes "An Aerial Battle" as follows: 



On September 24, 1898, I witnessed a most vigorous and spirited fight between 

 a Sparrow Hawk and a female Sharp-shinned Hawk. Each seemed equally the 

 aggressor and fought after its own peculiar method of hunting, the Sparrow 

 Hawk always endeavoring to rise high above the other and then dash down 

 falcon-like on the back of its antagonist, a manceuver which the other usually 

 forestalled by turning on its back and striking upwards viciously, though once 

 or twice I fancied that the Sparrow Hawk struck her prett}' severely before she 

 was able to turn. 



The Sharp-shinned Hawk attacked with a horizontal flight, sometimes with a 

 side movement, but oftener straight ahead, and, to my surprise, appeared to 

 have the advantage when flying against the wind, in spite of its opponent's more 

 compact build and stiffer wing feathers. The two fought back and forth over 

 the same ground for ten minutes or more, each endeavoring to gain the advan- 

 tage by keeping to the windward, but continually beaten back by the gale. The 

 Sparrow Hawk fought in silence, while the other uttered sharp, petulant shrieks 

 from time to time. 



Mr. Bent's notes tell of a somewhat similar case: "A sparrow hawk 

 chasing a red-shouldered hawk. The large hawk had something, 

 apparently a snake, in its talons. Both rose steadily in the air 

 until they were mere specks in the sky, and the small hawk was 

 invisible except through binoculars. It circled above the larger one 

 and frequently darted down at it, as a kingbird would do." 



H. I. Hartshorn (1918) notes a contest between a sparrow hawk 

 and a starling in which the hawk had the advantage until it was 

 frightened away. It seems remarkable that so small a hawk should 

 be able to vanquish a bird so nearly its own size, but I can attest 

 that it does so occasionally, for I saw a sparrow hawk carry a starling 

 in its talons to the roof of a building, where, standing on the dead 

 body, the hawk tore it to pieces. 



Song birds ordinarily pay little or no attention to the sparrow hawk, 

 especially if it is quiet. Louis B. Kalter speaks in his notes of a 



