KITES, HAWKS, AND EAGLES: Family Accipitriidae [187] 



COOPER'S HAWK (Plate 2.7, B), the larger cousin of the Sharp-shinned 

 Hawk, is not quite so abundant in Oregon as that species but, like it, 

 can be found throughout the wooded sections. This little falcon has a 

 different flight than other hawks. It is able to move rapidly and turn 

 quickly with its short, blunt wings. Although it does not appear to be 

 traveling fast, the quick flaps of the powerful wings, alternating with 

 short periods of soaring, really carry it through the air at an exceedingly 

 rapid rate of speed. It was first listed by Townsend (1839) and was 

 recorded by Newberry (1857), Heermann (1859), and Suckley (1860), 

 who were connected with the Pacific Railway Surveys in this territory. 

 As noted for the preceding species, nests are rarely reported, as it is diffi- 

 cult to find them in the huge firs and spruces that comprise so much of 

 the forests, particularly in western Oregon. Hadley (Woodcock 1901) 

 found eggs near Dayton in an old crow's nest 85 feet up in a fir tree, and 

 Jew r ett discovered a nest near Minthorn (Milwaukie), Clackamas County, 

 May 2.1, 1909, containing 4 eggs. Patterson collected eggs near Pinehurst, 

 Jackson County, on May 10, and June 2., 192.1. 



This bird-killing hawk, known as the "Blue Darter" and "Chicken 

 Hawk," is another of the few species in the State that is almost con- 

 sistently destructive, living to a large extent on poultry, game, and 

 insectivorous birds. In hunting, it selects as vantage point a low perch, 

 frequently on a limb near the center of the tree. There it waits patiently 

 until a bird comes within striking distance and then captures it by a 

 short, quick dash. Gabrielson, when living on Powell Valley Road, lost 

 some thirty baby chickens to a Cooper's Hawk that would sit concealed 

 in a thick growth of firs until a chick came close. Then the marauder 

 would dash out, seize its prey, and swing out of sight around the trees 

 so quickly that unless one had been looking closely it would never have 

 been seen. These raids took place at irregular intervals, and it required 

 several mornings of lying in ambush to dispose of the killer. 



Western Red-tailed Hawk: 



Buteo borealis calurus Cassin 



DESCRIPTION. "Adults: Varying greatly in plumage Light extreme: under parts 

 white or buffy, with broad reddish brown streakings on throat, belly, and sides; tail 

 bright reddish brown, with one or more subterminal blackish bars; rest of upper parts 

 dark brown, more or less marked with yellowish brown and whitish. Dark ex- 

 treme: uniform dark sooty brown except for rufous tail. Intermediates: reddish brown 

 underneath, and with more or less reddish brown wash on upper parts. There are 

 also all grades of plumage in this form between the light and dark extremes. Young: 

 tail grayish brown varying to dull yellowish brown, crossed by 9 to 10 blackish 

 bands; rest of plumage dark brown heavily spotted beneath, sometimes wholly 

 dusky [Plate 18]. Male: length 19.00-11.50, extent of wings 49-53, wing 13.50- 

 16.50, tail 8.50-10.00, bill .95-1.08. Female: length 13-15, extent 54.00-57.50, wing 

 15.15-17.75, tail 9.50-10.50, bill 1.00-1.15." (Bailey) Nest: A. bulky mass of sticks, 



