204 FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 



343. Buteo latissimus ( Wils.). BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Ad. . 

 Upper parts dark grayish brown or fuscous, more or less margined with buffy 

 and rufous ; three outer primaries " notched " and without ochraceous-butf 



markings ; tail fus- 

 cous, with two bars 

 and the tip grayish 

 white ; under parts 

 heavily barred with 

 brownish ochraceous- 



FIG. 70. Three-notched primaries of Broad-winged buff - Im ' ~ U PP er 

 Hawk. (Reduced.) parts like the pre- 



ceding ; tail grayish 



brown, with three to five indistinct black bars and a narrow whitish tip ; 

 under parts white or buffy white, streaked and spotted with fuscous. $ L., 

 15-89 ; W., 10-68 ; T., 6'75 ; B. from N., -70. 9 L., 16-76 ; W., 11-41 ; T., 7-09. 



Remarks, Compared with the other members of this genus, the three 

 " notched " primaries and small size are the principal characters of this 

 Hawk. 



Range. Breeds throughout eastern North America, from New Brunswick 

 southward. 



Washington, not common W. V., rare S. E. Sing Sing, tolerably common 

 S. K., Mch. 15 to Oct. 23. Cambridge, T. V., sometimes common in Sept. ; 

 rare in spring. 



Nest, in trees, twenty-five to fifty feet from the ground. Eggs, two to four, 

 dull white or buffy white spotted, blotched, or washed with ochraceous-bufF 

 or cinnamon-brown, 2-10 x 1-60. 



" Of all our Hawks, this species seems to be the most unsuspicious, 

 often allowing a person to approach within a few yards of it, and 

 when startled flies but a short distance before it alights again. Dur- 

 ing the early summer the Broad-winged Hawk often may be seen sit- 

 ting for hours on the dead top of some high tree. At other times it 

 is found on the smaller trees in the deep woods, along streams, or on 

 the ground, where its food is more often procured. Although slug- 

 gish and unusually heavy in its flight, it is capable of rapid motion, 

 and sometimes soars high in the air. One of its notes resembles quite 

 closely that of the Wood Pewee. . . . 



"Of 65 stomachs examined, 2 contained small birds; 15. mice; 13, 

 other mammals; 11, reptiles; 13, batrachians; 30, insects; 2, earth- 

 worms ; 4, crawfish ; and 7 were empty " (Fisher). 



344. Buteo brachyurus Vieill. SHORT -TAILED HAWK. Ad. 

 Upper parts slaty gray or fuscous grayish brown ; forehead whitish ; tail 

 barred with black and narrowly tipped with white, its under surface grayish ; 

 sides of the breast with some rufous-brown markings; rest of the under parts 

 pure white. Im. Similar, but upper parts browner and margined with 

 cream-buff; under parts washed with cream-buff; no rufous-brown on the 

 breast. Dark phase. Fuscous-black, with a slight metallic luster ; forehead 



