AMERICAN GOSHAWK 
334. Astur atricapillus. 23 in. 
Adults, above bluish-slate, darkest on the crown; 
a whitish line over the eye; below white, finely waved 
with gray. Young, brownish-black, with lighter edg- 
ings to the feathers; below whitish, streaked with 
blackish-brown. Young birds can easily be distin- 
guished from those of any other species by their large 
size and the long tail. This handsome species is one 
of the most rapacious and destructive of our birds 
of prey. Their short wings and long tail enable them 
to glide among the thickest foliage with great speed, 
and even the Ruffled Grouse cannot escape them. In 
the north where they live in summer, they destroy 
great numbers of Ptarmigan and Spruce Grouse, and 
come to us in the winter with their appetite whetted 
for a diet of poultry and our game birds, being ex- 
ceedinely bold in their capture. 
Nest.—Of sticks lined with weeds and bark, in tall 
trees: eggs white, unmarked. 
Range.—Breeds throughout Canada; winters in the 
northern half of the United States. 
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