160 LAND BIRDS 
Adult Female: Top and sides of the head streaked black and brown ; 
back, wing, and tail brownish ; under parts whitish or buffy. 
Young: Like female, but darker; tail brown, with three or four white 
bands. 
Geographical Distribution: Whoie of North America, chiefly north of the 
United States ; south in winter to Northern South America. 
Breeding Range: From Mackenzie River region down to Washington 
and Oregon. 
Breeding Season: May. 
Nest : On ledges of cliffs or in hollow trees ; made of sticks or grass, and 
lined with feathers. 
Eggs: 4 or 5; ground color cinnamon, covered with large indistinct 
rust-colored blotches. Size 1.59 XK 1.24. 
THe Pigeon Hawk is one of the trimmest and hand- 
somest of its family, and is tolerated in spite of its bird- 
eating habits. It is not at all shy, and may be seen 
feeding in the open country or on the edge of timber 
land or along the shores. Its food consists of small 
birds, pigeons, flickers, blackbirds, orioles, mice, and 
gophers. Like the duck hawk, it follows birds in mi- 
gration to eat stragglers. Its favorite victims are gallina- 
ceous birds, but it also devours many of our familiar 
friends among the song birds. This may be one cause 
for the habit of migrating at night. 
It nests largely north of latitude 40°, and in Northern 
California it begins to build early in April. The nest is 
only a rude platform of sticks, scantily lined with feath- 
ers, and placed in the crevices of a cliff, or in a hollow 
tree, or high among branches of trees; one observer has 
found it occupying a space between the rafters of a de- 
serted miner’s cabin. It is most common throughout 
California in the winter months, when it comes into the 
interior valleys from the colder districts and remains 
until the early spring. 
