298 HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES 



"Of 220 stomachs examined, 3 contained poultry; 12, other birds; 

 102, mice; 40, other mammals; 20, reptiles; 39, batrachians; 92, insects; 

 16, spiders; 7, crawfish; 1, earthworms; 2, offal; 3, fish; and 14 were 

 empty" (Fisher). 



1894. KENNARD, F. H., Auk, XI, 197-210, 270. (Biog.) 



339a. B. 1. alleni Ridgw. FLORIDA RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. Adults 

 of this species may easily be distinguished from those of B.I. lineatus by their 

 smaller size, grayish white head, with black shaft streaks and no rufous, the 

 smaller fuscous tips on the scapulars and interscapulars, which do not con- 

 ceal the ashy gray bases of the feathers, by the whitish or grayish cheeks 

 and throat, and the ochraceous-buff, indistinctly barred underparts. Im- 

 mature birds are very similar to those of B. I. lineatus, and can be distin- 

 guished only by their smaller size and darker color. cfW., ll'OO; T., 7"50; 

 B., 1-20. 



Range. S. part of Lower Austral zone and S. Atlantic and Gulf States 

 from S. C. through Tex. into Tamaulipas, Mex. 



Nesting date, San Mateo, Fla., Feb. 22. 



342. Buteo swainsoni Bonap. SWAINSON'S HAWK. Ad. <?. Upper- 

 parts fuscous-brown, more or less margined with rufous or buffy; primaries 

 unbarred, three outer ones "notched;" tail slightly grayer than the back, 

 with numerous indistinct, blackish bars showing more plainly on the under 

 surface; breast covered by a large, cinnamon-rufous patch; belly white or 

 ochraceous-buff, streaked, spotted, or barred with blackish, rufous, or buff. 

 Ad. 9. Similar, but larger, the breast patch of the same color as the back. 

 c? and 9 in dark or melanistic plumage. Entire plumage fuscous, the under 

 tail- and under wing-coverts and the tail sometimes spotted or barred. Im. 

 Upperparts fuscous-brown, widely margined with buffy and rufous; base of 

 the primaries grayish, and sometimes with a few broken bars; tail much as in 

 the ad.; underparts ochraceous-buff, spotted and streaked with blackish. 

 tfL., 20'00; W., 15-00; T., 8'50; B. from N., '75. 



Remarks. Between the light and dark phases of coloration there is every 

 degree of intergradation, but in any plumage this Hawk may be distinguished 

 from our other species by having only three outer primaries notched. In this 

 respect it agrees with B. platypterus, from which, however, it differs decidedly 

 both in size and color. 



Range. N. and S. A. Breeds from s. B. C., Fort Yukon, Alaska, nw. 

 Mackenzie, and Man., s. to Chile; casual in Que., Ont., Maine, and Mass.; 

 winters from S. D. southward. SE. Minn., S. R., Apl. 26. 



Nest, in trees, 30-80 feet up. Eggs, 2-3, varying from dull bluish white 

 to creamy white, sometimes unmarked, but generally more or less spotted 

 or blotched with shades of cinnamon-brown, 2'30 x 1*72. Date, Tom Green 

 Co., Tex., Apl. 7; Dry Lake, N. D., May 12. 



Swainson's Hawk is of rare occurrence east of the Mississippi. Dr. 

 Fisher writes: "By preference it frequents the timber in the vicinity 

 of streams, though often it is found far out on the prairie, where its 

 only perch is the earth mound of some mammal, or some other slightly 

 elevated knoll." 



343. Buteo platypterus platypterus (Vieill.}. BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 

 Ads. Upperparts dark grayish brown or fuscous, more or less margined 

 with buffy and rufous ; three outer primaries "notched" and without ochraceous- 

 buff markings; tail fuscous, with two bars and the tip grayish white; under- 

 parts heavily barred with brownish ochraceous-buff. Im. Upperparts like 

 the preceding; tail grayish brown, with three to five indistinct black bars and 



