376 



Trees, Stars, and Birds 



Finley & Bohlman 



FIG. 232. Young red-tailed hawks. The 

 nest is in a giant cottonwood 120 feet from 

 the ground. 



long wings, square tail, 

 and reddish brown 

 color, the male having 

 the wings partly ashy 

 blue. Some of them 

 live in towns, feeding 

 on English sparrows 

 and taking shelter at 

 night in a cornice or 

 other part of a building. 

 In the country they 

 may be seen flying over 



the fields, or hovering over a spot in the grass where their 

 keen eyes have detected something moving. When they 

 alight it is usually in a conspicuous place, where they can 

 watch for something to eat. In summer they subsist 

 largely on grasshoppers and crickets and in winter on 

 meadow mice and house mice. They eat so few useful 

 birds and young chickens that on the whole sparrow 

 hawks are beneficial. 



The cry of the sparrow hawk is shrill and quickly re- 

 peated, kitty, kitty, kitty. They are known also as 

 " killy hawks " and " rusty-crowned falcons." They 

 nest in hollow trees and retain the same mates through- 

 out life. 



Other hawks. Several other kinds of hawks are to 

 be seen in most localities, but they are becoming scarce 

 hi thickly settled regions. This is unfortunate, not 

 merely because they are interesting birds to watch*, but 

 also because the majority of them benefit the farmer by 

 catching mice, grasshoppers, or other pests. If only 



