314 



LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



107. Falco dominicensis GMELIN. 



CUBAN SPARROW HAWK. 



Fulco <lominicensis GMELIN, Systema Naturae, I, 1788, 285. 



(B , C , R 421, C 510, U 361.) 



GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE : Islands of Cuba and Haiti ; accidental or casual in south- 

 ern Florida. 



The Cuban Sparrow Hawk claims a place in our avifauna on the strength 

 of stragglers having been taken in Florida. It is a much darker colored 

 bird than ours, the breast and sides being a deep rufous color throughout, 

 and it is a common resident of the Islands of Cuba and Haiti. 



Dr. Jean Gundlach says: "The Cuban Sparrow Hawk, locally known by 

 the name of 'Cernicalo,' is a common bird in the Island of Cuba, especially 

 abundant about the borders of plantations, and is occasionally met with in the 

 forests as well. It would not be an easy matter to find a locality covered 

 with a few palms or other trees without seeing the little Cernicalo. They 

 are generally met with in pairs; are peaceably disposed, but will not tolerate 

 any others of their kind on their chosen range, which is somewhat limited. 

 One may observe them perched either on some limb of a tree, the gable or 

 roof of a building, or on a palm leaf, on the lookout for prey, which consists 

 principally of lizards, grasshoppers, and other insects, which are caught In- 

 rushing at them with arrow-like swiftness, scarcely a movement of the wings 

 being visible. It is astonishing how keen their sight is, as they seem to observe 

 quite small objects at considerable distances. Small birds are also caught 

 and eaten, and I have seen them about sundown successfully chase bats. 

 They may also be seen almost daily during the evening twilight engaged 

 in catching the large sphinx moths. 



"During the mating season they often call and feed each other, and play 

 together in aerial evolutions, circling about high in the air, then rapidly 

 descending and rising again. While hunting, one of these birds may often 

 be noticed to suddenly arrest its flight and hover for a moment or so over a. 

 certain point, then suddenly dart down on its prey; or, if it has disappeared, 

 resume its hunt. After eggs have been laid or the young hatched, no large 

 bird is tolerated about the neighborhood; Turkey Vultures and Herons are 

 always chased, being especially obnoxious to them. 



"The eggs, from three to five in number, are laid during March or 

 April, and usually deposited in the hollow of a tree, a hollow palm, or a 

 cavity in a wall or cliff. No regular nest is made." 1 



The eggs of the Cuban Sparrow Hawk are exact counterparts of those 

 <>t' our own species, with the exception that they are somewhat smaller. An 

 egg in the U. S. National Museum collection, taken by Professor Poey in 



1 Journal fiir Ornitbologie, Vol. xix, 1871, pp. :!73, 374. 



