216 BIRDS OF ONTARIO. 



/ 



SUBGENUS ^ESALON KAUP. 



FALCO COLUMBARIUS LINN. 

 153. Pigeon Hawk. (357) 



Tarsus, scarcely feathered above, with the plates in front enlarged, appear- 

 ing like a double row of alternating scutellse (and often with a few true scutellse 

 at base); first and second quill emarginated on inner web. Adult male: 

 Above, ashy-blue, sometimes almost blackish, sometimes much paler; below, 

 pale fulvous or ochreous, whitish 011 the throat, the breast and sides with large 

 oblong dark brown spots with black shaft lines; the tibia?, reddish, streaked 

 with brown; inner webs of primaries with about eight transverse white or 

 whitish spots ; tail, tipped with white, and with the outer feather whitening ; 

 with a broad subterminal black zone and three to four black bands alternating 

 with whitish ; cere, greenish-yellow. Female : With the upper parts ashv- 

 brown; the tail, with four to five indistinct whitish bands. Length, about 13; 

 wing, 8 ; tail, 5. Male : Smaller. 



HAB. The whole of North America, south to the West Indies and northern 

 South America. 



Nest, in a hole in a tree, or on a branch, or on rocks. 



Eggs, four, yellowish-brown, blotched with brown of a darker shade. 



This handsome little falcon is a miniature of the Peregrine, and is 

 quite its equal in courage and spirit, often attacking birds of much 

 greater weight than itself. It is not a common species anywhere, 

 and in Southern Ontario can only be regarded as a migratory visitor 

 in spring and fall. It is at all times a difficult matter to define the 

 precise breeding range of birds that are rare everywhere, and regard- 

 ing the summer haunts of the Pigeon Hawk we have yet much to 

 learn. As it has been known to breed in Maine and in Alaska, it is 

 quite likely to breed also in Ontario, where there is plenty of room 

 for it to do so without being observed. In the fall when the black- 

 birds get together in flocks, they are frequently followed by the 

 "little corporal," who takes his tribute without much ceremony. I 

 once saw him " stoop " on a flock as they hurried toward the marsh 

 for shelter. How closely they huddled together, as if seeking mutual 

 protection, but he went right through the flock and came out on the 

 other side with one in each fist. 



This species has a wide distribution, going south in winter as far 

 as the West Indies and northern South America. In summer it has 

 been found breeding in Nova Scotia and in several of the New 

 England States. Mr. Macfarlane found it common in the Anderson 

 River regions. And Mr. Nelson says : "It is one of the most 

 numerous and familiar birds of prey throughout the wooded portion 



