AMERICAN GOSHAWK 



334. Astur atricapillus. 23 in. 



Adults, above bluish-slate, darkest on the crown; 

 a whitish line over the eye; below white, finely waved 

 with gray. Young, brownish-black, with lighter edg- 

 ings to 'the feathers; below whitish, streaked with 

 blackish-brown. Young birds can easily be distin- 

 guished from those of any other species by their large 

 size and the long tail. This handsome species is one 

 of the most rapacious and destructive of our birds 

 of prey. Their short wings and long tail enable them 

 to glide among the thickest foliage with great speed, 

 and even the Ruffled Grouse cannot escape them. In 

 the north where they live in summer, they destroy 

 great numbers of Ptarmigan and Spruce Grouse, and 

 come to us in the winter with their appetite whetted 

 for a diet of poultry and our game birds, being ex- 

 ceedingly bold in their capture. 



N es t. Of sticks lined with weeds and bark, in tall 

 trees; eggs white, unmarked. 



Range. Breeds throughout Canada; winters in the 

 northern half of the United States. 



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