THE MARSH HAWK, 



( Circus h udson itis . ) 



The jMarsh Hawk, also known as 

 Harrier and Mouse Hawk, is one of the 

 most widely distributed of the American 

 hawks, its range including the whole 

 of North America from Alaska to Pan- 

 ama and Cuba. It breeds from the Gulf 

 states northw^ard. It is, perhaps, no- 

 where so common as in the prairie re- 

 gion of the middle west and especially 

 that portion of the country formmg the 

 Mississippi Valley. In the New Eng- 

 land states it arrives about the middle 

 of April to the first of May; in the vi- 

 cinity of northern Illinois it is a com- 

 mon summer resident and a rare winter 

 resident. 



Owing to the wide range of the Marsh 

 Hawk, the time of nesting varies in the 

 different localities. In the Southern 

 states nesting begins early in April, 

 while in Northern British America and 

 Alaska it is early June before ^^g lay- 

 ing begins. Unlike most hawks, wdiich 

 nest high up in trees, the Marsh Haw4v 

 builds its nest on the ground in the vi- 

 cinity of some stream or body of water. 

 Occasionally a low^ bush is selected un- 

 der which the nest is built. In many 

 cases it is constructed upon a slight 

 elevation, especially in a locality sub- 

 ject to overflow from a nearby pond 

 or lake. The nesting site is generally 

 plentifully supplied with growing grass 

 or rushes, which serve in a measure to 

 conceal the nest from possible intru- 

 ders. The nest is a rude aifair, loosely 

 thrown together, about eighteen inches 

 in external diameter and from eight to 

 ten inches wide inside. It is composed 

 of dried grass with here and there a 

 stick, evidently introduced to give addi- 

 tional strength to the structure. In the 

 New England states the nest is said to 

 be rather neatly woven together, but in 

 the prairie regions it is loosely and 



slovenly made. The lining consists of 

 soft grass or feathers and upon these 

 tne eggs, four to six in number, are 

 laid. The eggs are dirty-white in color, 

 tinged with blue and wath more or less 

 distinct brown spots. They measure 

 from one and a half to nearly two inches 

 in their longest diameter and about one 

 and one-quarter inches in their shortest 

 diameter. The period of incubation is 

 from three to four wrecks and but one 

 brood is raised in a season. Both the 

 male and the female assist in incubating 

 the eggs, each one taking its turn in 

 procuring food for the other. This 

 statement is also true of the building of 

 the nest, both sexes working vigorously 

 until the nest is completed. 



When young are in the nest the 

 Marsh Hawk is exceedingly bold and 

 fearless, quickly attacking dogs or 

 other animals which approach too close 

 to the vicinity of its home. It has even 

 been known to attack man in its zeal 

 to protect its nest. The young remain 

 with their parents after leaving the nest, 

 the whole family, with others which 

 have nested in the vicinity, migrating 

 south in the fall. The number of birds 

 nesting in a given area depends very 

 largely upon the food supply. If this is 

 abundant a marshy locality may support 

 a number of these haw^ks. 



In his report on the "HawKs and 

 Owls of the United States," i\Ir. A. K. 

 Fisher writes as follows: 'Though the 

 flight of this Hawk lacks the elegance of 

 some of the other species, it is well sus- 

 tained and often protracted. When the 

 bird is beating back and forth over the 

 meadows in search of food the flight is 

 easy, regular, but not rapid, and re- 

 sembles closely that of some of the 

 herons. In the spring the male some- 

 times goes through a series of aerial 



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