ANDERSON — THE BIRDS OF IOWA. 25 1 



Subgenus Ruteo Cuvier (part). 



148. {343). /h(h'o p/atvp/('nts{W\e\\\.). Broad- winged Hawk. 

 The Broad-winged Hawk appears to be somewhat irregularly 



distributed in Iowa, as a number of observers fail to report its 

 occurrence, some report it as a common migrant, and others as 

 rare. W. H. Bingaman reports it as "common; a few breed" 

 (Kossuth). In Winnebago county I have found it common in 

 spring and fall and rare in summer. J. Eugene Law took a set of 

 eggs near Lake Mills (Winnebago) in the latter part of May, 

 1893. The Broad-wings are rather .sluggish in their movements, 

 and are very tame and unsuspicious in the spring. A man may 

 frequently approach within easy gunshot range, and when the 

 Hawk is .scared up it usually flies only a short distance and alights 

 in another tree. J. W\ Preston took a melanistic female specimen 

 near Crystal Lake, Hancock county, May 3, 1883; described by R. 

 Ridgway (Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., ix, 1886, 248-9). 



Dr. Fisher says: "The only act of the Broad-winged Hawk 

 which seems injurious to agriculture is the kilhng of toads and 

 .small snakes, the former of which are exclusivel}- insect-eaters, 

 the latter very largely so. In one respect its enormous value 

 ranks above all other birds, and that is the destruction of immense 

 numbers of injurious larvae of large moths, which most birds are 

 either unable or disinclined to cope with." 



Genus A.sturnia \^ieilIot. 



149. (346). Ashiniia p/agiata Sc\\\Qg. Mexican Goshawk. 



This is a .species of Mexico and the southwestern United States, 

 said to straggle up the Mis.si.ssippi Valley to southern Illinois. 

 There is but one Iowa record (Iowa Orn., i, 4, 1895, 89): "Wal- 

 ter G. Savage of Hillsboro feels proud over securing a female 

 specimen of Gray Star Buzzard, on May 25, 1895, i^i Van Buren 

 county, Iowa, near his home." In a letter, Mr. Savage says: "In 

 1895 I shot a pair of these, the only ones that I ever knew of oc- 

 curring in our locality — Mexican Goshawk is Gray Star Buzzard. 

 I have the skins of two of these Hawks, and am positive of iden- 

 tity; killed in Van Buren county, on Big Cedar." 



Getuis Archibuteo Brehm. 



150. (347a). Archibuteo lagopus m7idi-joha7inis {Qi\\\q\..) Ameri- 



can Rough-legged Hawk. 



