2 So Practical Bird-Keeping .— V. Hawks and Owls.


which are rather delicate and require a little more care. Firstly,

we have the Sparrow Hawk ; this species rarely does well or

lives long in confinement and is also extremely wild. It will

not live on butcher’s meat, and does not care for rats and so

small birds are the only food on which it will do well. The

Merlin is * par excellence,’ one of the tamest and most delightful

of our native Hawks. Young ones reared from the nest make

charming pets, but generally die during the winter ; however, if

given plenty of tender meat (birds and mice) and kept in an

indoor aviary where they can take plenty of exercise during the

bad weather they will do fairly well, but I have never found

them very long-lived.


The Hobby, Red-footed Falcon, American Sparrow

Hawk (in reality a Kestrel) and several other small species may

sometimes be procured. These must all be taken indoors during

the winter or a glass front fixed to the aviaries already described.

They should be given as many small birds and mice as possible,

and also beetles or other similar insects. When given butcher’s

meat it should be cut up into small pieces.


Hawks do very much better if kept in separate aviaries,

as when several are kept together the strongest almost invariably

take the lion’s share of the food ; but if several are kept together

the same number of pieces of meat must be given as there are

birds, no more and no less, for if they are keen on their food, as

they should be if in health, they will not settle down to feed till

all the food is gathered up and an extra piece leads to fighting

and quarrelling. Another reason against keeping several together

is that in autumn, when the birds get ravenous, the weaker are

almost certain to be partially starved and possibly killed outright,

though this is not very often the case.


Kites and Vultures have quite different habits and may

safely be kept together, as may also Owls, except in spring and

autumn, when they must be carefully watched.


Hawks are said to be extremely shy breeders in confine¬

ment and, except for the Kestrel which has been known to nest

about three times, I can find no records of the successful breeding

of other species. Personally I do not think there would be much

difficulty in inducing these birds to nest, provided they were



