ACCIPITER FUSCUS. 277 



ACCIPITER FUSCUS. 



Sharp-shinned Hawk. 



Falcofuscus Gji., Syst. Nat., I; 1788, 280. 



DESCRIPTION. 



S]). Cn. Form, slender. Size, not large. Sternum, not very stout, rather narrow, with the marginal indentations 

 quite large. Tongue, long, narrow, quite fleshy, rounded at the tip and somewhat bifid. Tarsus and toes, long and slen- 

 der, with the middle toe considerably exceeding in length the outer toe and claw. Ooeca, present but very small . 



Coi.ou. Adu/t male. Above, including secondaries and upper wing coverts, slaty-blue, darkest on the head, with ter- 

 tiaries spotted on both webs, secondaries barred on inner webs, and ba.se of featheiN on occiput, white. Primaries, dark- 

 brown l)anded on inner webs with ashy-brown and white. Tail, a^hy-brown, tipped with white and barred with dark- 

 brown. Beneath, including under wing coverts, tibia, and under tail coverts, white, the former, spotted with dark-brown 

 and the latter, immaculate, but all the remaining feathers below have a narrow, central line of dark-brown and are trans- 

 versely banded, excepting on throat, with reddish-brown. Sides of head, yellowish-rufous, streaked with dusky. 



Adu/t female. Quite similar to the male in general coloration but lighter above, where the feathers show central line.-; 

 of darker, and the tints below are much lighter. 



Younij. Browner above than in the adult and there are some traces of rufous on the head. Longitudinally and broad- 

 ly streaked below with pale reddish-brown. 



Young of the year. Brown above, with every feather edged with reddish. The markings below are also narrower and 

 darker. There is a whitish line over the eye. Otherwise similar to the above. 



Nest/mffs. Are at first covered with a yellowish down, then gradually a-ssume the plumage last described which th.-y 

 keep fur a year. Bill, dark-brown, bluish at ba,se, cere, greenish, feet, yellow, iris, reddish, in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Specimens of the same age are quite uniform in pattern of coloration but vary a little in intensity of tintings; thus the 

 white of the throat is occasionally overwashed with reddish and the under tail coverts are tinged with it. Known from the 

 closely allied Cooperi by the small size, more slender tarsus, and comparatively long middle toe which considerably exceeds 

 in length the hind toe and claw, and from all othei-s by the long tail, short wings, and colors as described. Distributed as 

 a summer resident, throughout North America. Wintei-s in the portions south of latitude 42^. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of male specimens from Eastern North America. Length, ll'-SS; stretch, Sl'SS; wing, fi-75; 

 tail, .'J-40; bill, '40; tarsus, 1-70. Longest specimen, 11-7.5; greatest extent of wing, 21-75, longest wing, 7-00; tail, 5-hO; 

 bill, -45; tai-sus, 1-90. Shortest specimen, 10-00; smallest extent of wing, 20-00; .shortest wing, 6-50; tail, 5-30; bill, -35; 

 tarsus, 1-80. 



Average measurements of female specimens from Eastern North America. Length, 13-00; stretch, 2450; wing, 7.50; 

 tail, fi 10; bill, '45; tarsus, 2- 10. Longest specimen, 13-50; greatest e.Uent of wing, 25-00; longest wing, 7-65; tail ,fi-25; 

 bill, -50; tarsas, 2-i!5. Shortest specimen, 12-50; smallest extent of wing, 24-00; shortest wing, 7-2.5; tail, 6-00; bill. 40; 

 tarsus 2-00. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS 



Nests, placed in trees. They are not very bulky structures, composed of sticks, lined with strips of bark, leaves, weeds, 

 and grass. 



Erjfjx, three or four in number, rather spherical in form, bluish-white in color, coai-sely .spotted and blotched with 

 brown and umber of varying shades. Dimensions from 117x1-45 to r20x l-fiO. 



HABITS. 



The little Sharp-shinned Hawks are easily recognized when on the wing, by the pecu- 

 liar flight which differs somewhat from other birds of this order already des(;ribed, for they 

 fly with a quick, flapping motion of the wings, alternated with short intervals, when they 

 move with extended pinions. In spite of this singular mode of progression, they manage 

 to travel very rapidly and will dart through a thicket or around it with almost the speed 

 of thought, causing a great panic among the little birds for they are well aware of the fact, 



