Duck-Hawk 187 
Duck-Hawk. Falco peregrinus anatum. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 356a—Colorado Records—Allen, 72, pp. 152, 158 ; 
Drew 85, p.17; Morrison 89, p. 65; Kellogg 90, p.90; Cocke 97, 
pp. 18, 76, 160 ; Henderson 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 229. 
Description.—Female—Above slaty-blue, varying from dark to light ; 
most of the feathers with paler edges; the dark slate extends below 
the eye, forming a moustache patch ; primaries marked on the inner 
web with pale reddish or tawny bands; tail barred dusky and silvery 
grey, and tipped with whitish; below pale tawny-rufous, posteriorly 
from the breast closely and regularly barred with dusky ; iris brown, 
bill bluish-horn, base and cere yellowish, feet yellow. Length 18; 
wing 13-7; tail7; culmen 1-l.; tarsus 2-2. 
The male is smaller—wing 12-5, tail 6-5. A young bird is blackish 
above and has most of the feathers edged with tawny-rufous, darker 
than the adult, and streaked, not barred, with dusky. 
Distribution.—The greater part of the New World, from Alaska and 
Labrador south to Chili and the Argentine. 
In Colorado the Duck-Hawk can hardly be called common, though 
it is not infrequently met with in suitable localities. It is placed by 
Cooke among the residents, but I have not found any definite winter 
record for it, and it is certainly chiefly met with during the summer 
months. It is not recorded from the western or southern, districts 
of the State, though there is no reason why it should not be found 
there. The following are localities: Loveland, arriving March 29th 
(W. G. Smith), Estes Park, rare (Kellogg), Boulder co. (Galo & 
Henderson), Fairplay (Allen), Garden of the Gods, near Manitou 
breeding (Aiken), St. Charles Cafion, near Pueblo, breeding (Lowe 
apud Cooke). 
Habits——The Duck-Hawk is hardly to be distinguished 
from the Peregrine Falcon of the Old World, which 
was formerly esteemed the noblest of its kind. Its 
flight is marvellously rapid, and it can overtake swift- 
flying ducks with the greatest ease. It prefers timbered 
lands along streams and cliffs and rocky places, where 
it builds its nest. It preys almost exclusively on other 
birds, especially water-fowl, but Blackbirds and Doves 
are sometimes taken, while destructive inroads are often 
made on poultry and domestic ducks. In fact, it is 
one of the few birds of prey in whose favour little can 
be said. 
