THE BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 409 
in the amount of pigmentation. It is time, however, to call a halt upon the 
indiscriminate gathering of Hawks’ eggs. The museums are loaded down 
with them, and nine-tenths of those which are annually levied upon in the 
name of boyish curiosity are destined to find their way into mouse nests or 
discarded boxes of sawdust. In spite of its occasional pilfering, the Red- 
shouldered Hawk is a very useful bird, and should receive rigid protection 
at the hands of every farmer. 
No. 183. 
BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 
YA. O. U. No. 343. Buteo platypterus (Vieill.). 
Synonym.—BRoaAbd-WINGED BUZZARD. 
Description —dAdult: Above sooty brown and fuscous, with much ill-con- 
cealed or hidden white on head, hind neck, wing-coverts, and inner margin of 
wings ; some ochraceous margining of feathers, but less than in the two preced- 
ing species; wing-quills plain-colored externally; primaries blackening on tips, 
broadly white on inner webs; the three outer primaries deeply emarginate; tail 
black with two decided white or light gray bars, beside narrow terminal gray 
and basal white; cheeks finely streaked with dusky and fulvous on whitish ground ; 
throat white narrowly streaked with blackish; remaining under parts whitish or 
pale fulvous, heavily and widely barred and streaked with yellowish brown 
or dusky ochraceous; sometimes nearly solid colored on breast; lower belly and 
crissum nearly immaculate; shanks sparingly fine-barred; axillars barred, but 
under surface of wing nearly white, black-tipped; bill dark, or yellow-spotted 
below; feet yellow; claws black. Immature: Like adult, but tail grayish brown 
crossed by five to seven narrow dusky bands; under parts white or buffy, 
streaked and spotted with dusky; longitudinal pattern more distinct than in 
adult. Adult male length about 14.00-16.00 (355.6-406.4); wing about 10.50 
(266.7) ; tail about 6.75 (171.5); culmen from cere .75 (19.1); tarsus 2.50 
(63.5). Female from two to three inches longer and proportioned accordingly. 
Recognition Marks.—Typical Crow size; the white under surface of wing, 
with black primary tips, affords quickest field recognition mark; wings rounded ; 
bird shorter and more compact in build than Accipiter cooperti, with which it is 
most likely to be confused. 
Nest, of sticks, in trees; often a deserted Crow’s. nest. Eggs, 2-4, buffy 
white, spotted and blotched with reddish brown or ochraceous. Av. size, 2.00 x 
1.58 (50.8 x 40.1). 
General Range.—Fastern North America from New Brunswick and the 
Saskatchewan region to Texas and Mexico, and thence southward to northern 
South America and the West Indies. Breeds throughout its United States range. 
Range in Ohio.—Not common summer resident. 
