EAGLES, HAWKS, AND KITES 



63 



shading into pale bluish-gray and this color (,'rading 

 imperceptibly into the dark bluish-yray of the entire 

 ii])per and lower iiliiniagt- ; lores, eyelids and cere 

 black; gape of mouth, orange; lesser wing-coverts, 

 primaries, and upper tail-coverts, darker bluish-gray 

 (almost black), the primaries tinged with chestnut 

 rufous at base of iimcr and outer webs; tips of the 

 secondaries, silvery white; taii, nearly pure black; bill, 

 black; feet orange-yellow; iris, deep red. Young: 

 Head, neck, and lower parts, dull yellowish-white, each 

 feather with a long oval spot of blackish-lirown, more 

 reddish-brown on lower portion ; chin, throat, and a 

 broad stripe over eye, white ; ui)per parts, brownish- 

 black, the feathers narrowly edged with yellowish- 



white; primary-coverts, secondaries, and primaries, 

 sharply margined on ends with white; tail, black with 

 three bands of more slaty tint, and corresponding rows 

 of white spots on inner webs. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: In high tree-top; usually 

 an old nest of some other species remodeled with 

 additional material and lined with Spanish moss or 

 green leaves. Eggs: 2 or 3, pale bhiish-green, usually 

 uimiarked but sometimes with faint spots or stains. 



Distribution. — Southern Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, 

 southern huiiana, and South Carolina south to Texas 

 and Florida; winters in Florida and southern Texas 

 and south rarely to Guatemala ; accidental in Colorado, 

 South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. 



Its uniform bluish-gray plumage, with darker 

 wings and tail, easily distinguishes the Missis- 

 sippi Kite in life. 



This compact, well-built bird possesses much 

 more courage and spirit than others of its kin- 

 dred. Only the Swallow-tailed Kite surpasses 

 it in thght power, but it is stronger and much 

 more determined than that species. Its aerial 

 performances are quite up to the Kite standard; 

 it soars with motionless pinions in great circles, 

 sweeps or dashes with vigor and grace, or hovers 



in the air watching for its humble quarry. It 

 is a tireless flyer. 



Although the almost toothed bill indicates an 

 approach to falcon traits, it confines its captures 

 to lizards, small snakes, frogs, grasshoppers, and 

 particularly to a large species of beetle belonging 

 to the cicada family. This latter it deftly picks 

 from tree branches without ceasing its flight. Its 

 food is eaten on the wing after the manner of 

 the Swallow-tailed Kite. 



R. 1. Brasher. 



EVERGLADE KITE 



Rostrhamus sociabilis ( Vicillot) 



.\. O. U. Xumber 3J0 



Other Name. — Snail Hawk. 



General Description. — Length, 18 inches. Plumage, 

 bluish-gray. Five outer primaries notched on inner 

 webs ; upper section of bill, lengthened and hooked. 



Color.— Adults : Prevailing color, dark bluish-gray 

 blackening on secondaries, primaries, and tail and with 

 a tinge of brownish on wing-coverts and feathers of 

 neck and head with a bluish-green shade; base of tail 

 with upper and under-coverts, white increasing on tail 

 in extent from the center to outsid,-; feathers ; tail, 

 tipped with a band of pale gray about an inch wide; 

 bill and claws, black: base of bill, cere, and feet, bright 

 orange; iris, red. Young: Above, brownish-black with 

 a chalky cast on back. Each feather rather broadly 

 tipped with yellowish-rufous; crown and sides and 

 back of head longitudinally streaked with the same; 



line over eye, sides of head and lower parts, dull ocher ; 

 throat and cheeks, streaked with dusky ; other lower 

 parts thickly marked with elongated spots of brownish- 

 black ; upper tail-coverts, white with black shaft lines; 

 lower tail-coverts unmarked; tail with basal third white 

 and a terminal band of brownish-ash. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: In a bush, small tree, or 

 clump of grass ; a flat structure of sticks, grasses, old 

 stalks, and leaves and lined with a few dried heads of 

 saw-grass, the whole rather carelessly put together. 

 Eggs : 2 or 3, dingy white, irregularly splashed, spotted, 

 or blotched with yellow-brown, light olive-brown, and 

 dark sepia. 



Distribution. — Tropical Florida. Cuba. eastern 

 Mexico, Central America, and eastern South America 

 to Argentina; migratory in northern Florida. 



The formation of the bill of the Everglade Kite 

 enables it to extract from its shell the fresh-water 

 snail (Pomiis dcpressits) on which it feeds 

 almost exclusivelv. This snail is very abundant 



in the shallow lagoons of the Everglades, and 

 this Kite's distribution in the United States is 

 confined to that region. 



The birds usually resort to some eminence in 



