The Red-Shouldered Hawk 



BY WILLIAM DUTCHER 



, Chairman National Committee of Audubon Societies 



DESCRIPTION 



Adults. — Upper parts dark fuscous-brown, each feather edged with rusty, except on lower back, which is without 

 edging ; wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts barred and tipped with white; throat rusty white, streaked with 

 blackish; rest of under parts bright rusty, varying greatly in shade, all feathers either spotted or barred with white, 

 the bars being more pronounced on the belly; some specimens show considerable black on breast or belly, princi- 

 pally as shaft-lines; wing with the four outer primaries (wing quills) notched, that is, abruptly narrowed near end, 

 all barred with black and white; shoulder of wing deep rich rusty or chestnut, this being a conspicuous distin- 

 guishing mark, giving one of the common names of the species, Red-shouldered Hawk; tail crossed by four or five 

 white bars and with white tip ; under side of tail feathers gray instead of black; feet yellow, claws black; bill black, 

 bare skin at base of bill (cere) yellow. 



Young. — Upper parts like adult, except being less rusty and not quite so dark; under parts whitish, tinged 

 with buff, deeper on thighs, profusely marked with large dark brown spots on breast and belly; thighs plain or with 

 very small spots; wing without white barring of adult; base of primaries pale cinnamon, whitish on inner side of 

 feather; tail grayish brown, faintly barred, showing more or less rusty near base of feathers, with some broken white 

 bars on under side of feathers. 



Florida Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus alleni) . Adults of this form of the Red-shouldered Hawk are 

 much smaller than those of the typical species, and can be distinguished by the grayish white head, which lacks 

 rufous, the decidedly grayish upper parts and the paler buff and faintly barred under parts. The shoulders, how- 

 ever, are the characteristic rusty or chestnut, but not quite so marked as in lineatus proper. The young of this race 

 cannot be distinguished except by smaller size and locality where found (see note on distribution). 



Red-bellied Hawk (Buteo lineatus elegans). Adults: Lower parts much brighter and deeper reddish brown than 

 in B. lineatus; upper parts brighter and clearer black and white, except on the head, which shows much more 

 rusty. The characteristic red shoulder patch present. 



Size. — The male Red-shouldered Hawk {lineatus) varies in length, 17.50 to 19.50 inches from tip of bill to end 

 of tail; female is much larger, varying from IQ to 2Z inches. The Florida Red-shouldered Hav/k {alleni) is much 

 smaller than true lineatus. while the Red-bellied Hawk (elegans) is almost as large as lineatus. Note that the females 

 of all the Hawks and Owls, commonly known as Birds of Prey, are much larger than the males. 



Nest. — The nest of lineatus is built of sticks and is lined with strips of bark of various kinds, sometimes ever- 

 green twigs, dry grass, dead roots and feathers; it is placed at an average height of fifty feet from the ground, gen- 

 erally in a deciduous tree, although sometimes in a pine. Alleni usually nests in pines and sometimes in cypress 

 trees, while elegans builds in cottonwoods, oaks, giant cactus, pines, etc., sometimes not more than ten feet from the 

 ground. 



Eggs of lineatus and elegans. — Two to six in number, the average set being white to pale yellow, more or less 

 heavily smeared, blotched and spotted with different shades of brown, fawn color, vinaceous buff and pearl gray, and 

 showing an almost endless variety of patterns. 



Distribution. — B. lineatus inhabits all of eastern North .America, north to Nova Scotia and southern Canada; 

 west to Texas and the great plains; typical alleni is found only on the Florida peninsula; elegans is found on the 

 Pacific coast from British Columbia south to Lower California; also from western Texas to the Pacific. 



The generic name of this hawk, Buteo, a buzzard, is of very ancient origin, being 

 mentioned in the writings of Plin}^ ; its specific name is from linea, a line, referring to 

 the streaking of the plumage. The western form elegans, meaning elegant, probably 

 refers to the beauty and special brightness of its feathers, while the southern form is 

 named in honor of Dr. J. A. Allen, the well-known ornithological student and 

 writer. There are twelve species and subspecies of Buteos in North America, four of 

 which belong to the Red-tailed Hawk group, and three to the Red-shouldered family. 

 Without a single exception the Buteos are valuable aids to the agriculturist, as will be 

 shown in detail later. As a class they are rather heavy, deliberate fliers, much given to 

 soaring in circles at a great height. At other times they are prone to select some point of 

 observation on a dead limb in the tree districts, or a knoll in the prairie regions, where 

 they will remain in perfect repose for a long period, seemingly asleep ; however, any 

 attempt to approach them by an observer quickly shows that they are alert and watchful. 

 Unfortunately, the harmless and beneficial Hawks of the Buteo tribe are the scapegoats of 

 all that is bad in the Hawk family and arc made to suffer for most of the sins that a 



(no) 



