LAND BIRDS. 273 
less perfect black bar. The immature birds are readily confused with other 
species. 
Distribution.—Eastern North America, west to the Great Plains, north 
to about latitude 60°, south to eastern Mexico. Breeds throughout most 
of its range. 
This is one of the two most abundant buzzard hawks, commonly called 
Hen Hawks, often seen floating in circles or spirals far aloft, especially 
over the uplands. It seems to prefer open country, or 
at least regions not too heavily timbered, and its food na 
consists almost entirely of meadow-mice, rats, ground 
squirrels, rabbits, and an occasional snake, frog, or fish. 
Like other hawks it sometimes gets into bad habits and 
may then visit the poultry yard many times in succession Ty 
carrying away fowl after fowl unless trapped or shot. NK 
As a rule, however, it feeds almost entirely upon mammals min Se 
and must be considered an extremely beneficial bird. Bill of Ted-tailea 
Out of 473 stomachs reported upon by Dr. A. K. =e 
Fisher, 54 contained poultry or game birds; 51, other birds; 278, mice; 
131, other mammals; 37, batrachians or reptiles; 47, insects; 8, crayfish; 
1, centipedes; and 13, offal. It is no uncommon thing to find the remains 
of 5 or 6 meadow-mice in a single stomach and in many localities during 
the fall and winter it feeds almost exclusively upon small rodents. 
While wheeling high in the air its common call-note is ‘“kee-aah” as 
written by Captain Bendire. While perched, often on the top of some 
tall and conspicuous tree, it is usually silent. 
The nest is a bulky structure of sticks and twigs lined with smaller twigs 
and some bark, and usually a few feathers after the eggs are laid. It is 
placed high up in a large tree, sometimes in the thick woods but more 
often near the edges of wooded areas, or in single trees in the open. The 
eggs in Michigan are commonly two or three in number, but occasionally 
four are found. They are laid earlier than those of the Red-shouldered 
Hawk, often as early as the last week in March, and usually before the 
middle of April. Of thirty-one nests found by the late R. B. Westnedge, 
in Kalamazoo county, ten contained eggs the last week in March. thirteen 
between April first and 10th, seven during the rest of April, and only one 
in May (the 10th). The eggs vary much in color and markings, perhaps 
one-fourth of them being dirty white and unspotted, while the remainder 
are spotted and blotched, sparsely or thickly, faintly or heavily, in endless 
variation. They average 2.38 by 1.81 inches. 
This hawk is rarely if ever found in Michigan in winter, but arrives from 
the south very early, usually before the middle of March, and remains until 
mid-October or later. Frequently it migrates southward in straggling 
flocks of considerable size, either wheeling in wide circles and drifting stead- 
ily southward, or alternately flapping and sailing, usually across the wind, 
and thus carried steadily to leeward. During fine weather in late autumn 
scores or even hundreds of Red-tails may be seen thus during a single day. 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 
Four outer primaries notched on inner webs. Adult: Dark brown above, more or 
less mixed or mottled with gray and whitish; under parts white or whitish, usually washed 
with buff on the sides of breast, only the belly streaked with dark brown or blackish; 
tail bright rust-red (rufous) above, usually with a distinct black bar near the end, the 
tip whitish; iris brown. Immature: Similar, but the dark streaks on the belly so thick 
35 
