SPARROW HAWK (Falco spar- 

 verius). 



Length, about 10 inches. This 

 is one of the best known and 

 handsomest, as well as the small- 

 est, of North American hawks. 



Raiifje: Broods throughout the 

 United States, Canada, and north- 

 ern Mexico; winters in the United 

 States and south to Guatemala. 



Habits and economic status: 

 The sparrow hawk, which is a 

 true falcon, lives in the more 

 open country and builds its nest 

 in hollow trees. It is abundant 

 in many parts of the West, where 



telegraph poles afford it convenient perching and feeding places. Its food con- 

 sists of insects, small mammals, birds, spiders, and reptiles. Grasshoppers, crick- 

 ets, and terrestrial beetles and caterpillars make up considerably more than half 

 its subsistence, while field mice, house mice, and shrews cover fully 25 percent 

 of its annual supply. THe balance of the food includes birds, reptiles, and 

 spiders. Contrary to the usual habits of the species, some individuals during 

 the breeding season capture nestling birds for food for their young and create 

 considerable havoc among the songsters of the neighborhood. In agricultural 

 districts when new ground is broken by the plow, they sometimes become very 

 tame, even alighting for an instant under the horses in their endeavor to seize a 

 worm or insect. Out of 410 stomachs examined, 314 were found to contain 

 insects; 129, small mammals; and 70, small birds. This little falcon renders 

 good service in destroying noxious insects and rodents and should be encour- 

 aged and protected. (See Biol. Survey Bui. 3, pp. 115-127.) 



RED-TAILED HAWK (Buteo borealis). 



Length, about 2 feet. One of our largest hawks; adults with tail reddish brown. 



Range: Breeds in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, and Alaska; 

 winters generally in the United States and south to Guatemala. 



Habits and economic status: The red-tailed hawk, or "hen-hawk," as it ia 

 commonly called, is one of the best known of all our birds of prey, and is a 

 widely distributed species of great economic importance. Its habit of sitting on 

 some prominent limb or pole in the open, or flying with measured wing beat over 

 prairies and sparsely wooded areas on the lookout tor its favorite prey, causes it 

 to be noticed by the most indifferent observer. Although not as omnivorous as the 

 red-shouldered' hawk, it feeds on a variety of food, as small mammals, snakes, 

 frogs, insects, birds, crawfish, centipedes, and even carrion. In regions where 

 rattlesnakes abound it destroys considerable numbers of the reptiles. Although 

 it feeds to a certain extent on poultry and birds, it is nevertheless entitled 

 to general protection on ac- 

 count of the insistent warfare it 

 wages against field mice and 

 other small rodents and in- 

 sects that are so destruc- 

 tive to young orchards, nur- 

 sery stock, and farm prod- 

 uce. Out of 530 stomachs 

 examined, 457, or 85 i)er cent, 

 contained the remains of mam- 

 mal pests such as field mice, 

 pine mice, rabbits, several 

 species of ground squirrels, 

 pocket gophers, and cotton 

 rats, and only 62 contained 

 the remains of poultry or game 

 birds. (See Biol. Survey Bui. 

 3, pp. 48-62.) 



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