On a Captive RkivTailed Hawk. 



107 



SOME OBSERVATIONS ON A CAPTIVE RED-TAlEED 

 HAWK {Bntco bona /is). 



BY W. F. HKNNINC.ER. 



On August 15th of this year a Red-tailed Hawk was brought 

 to me, that had been shot in the wing while pouncing down 

 on a chicken in a barn-yard. Just a few days before that an- 

 other had been shot at at the same place, while with a chicken 

 in his talons he was trying to get to an orchard. On August 

 31st I saw one pursuing a Red Squirrel. This goes to confirm 

 my statement made elsewhere (Wilson Bulletin, December, 

 1902, p. 138) that the Red-tailed Hawk feeds principally on 

 birds and squirrels. The wounded Hawk brought me is not 

 an adult and I concluded to experiment with my captive to 

 find out just what he would eat. After refusing food for 

 three days he began to eat. So far he has eaten beef, raw, 

 boiled and roasted; also raw and boiled pork, kidney and 

 liver. He would not touch cured meats; nor will he eat 

 veal, except forced by hunger. A Barn Owl, which I had in 

 captivity for a week in iSg8, would also refuse veal. He al- 

 ways liked squirrel, whenever oflfered him. On vSeptember ist 

 I gave him two Yellow-legs and two Field Sparrows, and al- 

 though he had just been fed with some raw beef, immediately 

 devoured them with great greed; in fact, he would always 

 jump down from his perch and with great ferocity go for birds 



