788 IJki'oim" ok St.vtk GKOLOtiisT. 



Sul>t;enus TAOiivrHioR* nis Iviup. 



137. ('54:i). Biiteo latissimus (Wi^s.). 



Broad-winged Hawk. 



Adult. — Above, dusky-brownish, dai'ker ou back; below, biowuish, 

 dull rufous, or rusty, more or less broken by white transverse spotting; 

 lower bell}'", white, biu-red witJi dull rufous; tail, blackish, crossed by 

 two to four bands of gray or brownish-white. Immature. — Entire 

 under pai'ts, dull white or butfy, with longitudinal brown or dusky 

 streaks on breast and sides; tail, grayish-brown, crossed by five to seven 

 narrow bands of dusky. 



Length, 13.25-18.00; wing, 9.75-11.40; tail, 6.50-8.00. (Fisher). 



Eakge. — America, from Ecuador north over eastern North America 

 to New Brunswick, Hudson Bay. Breeds from Cuba and southern 

 United States nortliwai'd. Winters from New York and in Mississippi 

 Valley from latitude -10° south. 



Nest, in trees, of sticks, lined with strips of bark and leaves. Bggs, 

 2-4; dull grayish-white, spotted and blotched with different shades of 

 brown, hazel, drab and fawn-color, also, sometimes, shell markings 

 (^Bendire); 1.93 by 1.56. 



Resident in southern Indiaaia; sumiuor resident uorthwai'd. Not 

 common. Most often seen in spring and fall. Mr. C. E. Aiken tells 

 me it breeds in Lake County, and Mr. Robert Kidgway notes its breed- 

 ing in Knox aiul Gibson counties. In the northern part of the Stiite 

 they depart from August till the coming of severe weuther, and retuni 

 in Mai'ch or early April. 



This Buteo is much snuiller than either the Eed- tailed or Red-shoul- 

 dered. It nests later, usually in May or June. The nests ai-e smaller, 

 and sometimes a crow's nest is occupied. It has been known to nest 

 in the fork of a tree, within three feet of the ground. The sites range 

 from that to about 60 feet high. The eggs are deposited at intervals 

 of one or two days. But one brood is raised. Both parents incubate 

 and care for the young. The incubation period is from twenty-one to 

 twenty-five days. The following summai"y of the stomachs of 65 of 

 these Hawks examined shows that 2 contained small birds; 15. mice; 

 13, otlier maanmals; 11, reptiles; 13, batrachiaus; 30, insects; 2, eartli- 

 worms; 4, crawfish; and 7 were empty (Fisher, Hawks and Owls of 

 U. S., p. 83). This Hawk is valuable because of its destruction of 

 mice and other mammals and insects. In the meadows it wages war 

 upon grasshoppers, crickets, ]\Iay beetles and other beetles; and in the 

 orchards and woods, upon caterpillars, the larvfe of lai-ge moths, whicli 

 feed upon the foliage. This Hawk is much more benetii'ial than 

 olherwisp, and is wortliy of protection. 



