410 THE AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED H AWK. 



PROFESSOR Jones is right in calling this a little-known Hawk in Ohio. 

 Its fondness for the deeper woods, together with its small size, leaves one 

 little opportunity to distinguish it clearly from the more abundant Cooper 

 Hawk on the one hand or the rare Sharp-shin on the other. On only one 

 occasion have I positively identified it in Ohio. On March 5th, 1898, a male 

 bird with black primary-tips contrasting sharply with the white of the re- 

 maining under-wing surface, flew low overhead as I stood in the street in 

 Oberlin. The bird held a straight course north, and moved with the alter- 

 nating flap and sail so characteristic of the Buteos. 



According to Dr. William L. Ralph,^ who has studied the species closely 

 in northern New York : "When one is driven from its nest it at once utters 

 a shrill call which soon brings its mate to the spot, and together they will keep 

 up their noise as long as there is anyone in the vicinity. They are very tame 

 in this locality (Utica), and frequently when one is started from its nest it 

 will not even leave the tree, but alight on a limb near by. They are gentle in 

 disposition and never attempt to strike at a person, altho they are very solicit- 

 ous about their eggs and young. For days after they have been robbed these 

 birds will utter their complaints when anyone approaches their homes." 



"Their food consists to a great extent of small rodents, such as mice, 

 gophers, and squirrels; shrews, small snakes, frogs, grasshoppers, beetles, 

 larvae of insects, and very rarely small birds. It is one of the most harmless 

 of our Raptores and of great benefit to the farmer" (Bendire). 



No. 184. 



AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 



A. O. U. No. 347a. Archibuteo lagopus sancti=johannis (Gmel.). 



Synonyms. — American Rough-leg, or simply Rough-i^eg. 



Description. — Adult, normal {light) phase: Head and neck all around 

 white or flaxen, narrowly streaked with dark brown, sparingly on throat; re- 

 maining upper parts dark brown or brownish fuscous, varied by ochraceous 

 or ochraceous-buffy, marginal brownish gray and outcropping white ; wing-quills 

 not barred, at least on exposed surfaces, but grayish-edged and with much 

 basal white on inner web; four outer primaries deeply emarginate; upper tail- 

 coverts and basal portion of tail (usually for more than half its lengfth) white; 

 terminal portion of tail crossed by broad, subterminal band of dusky, and 

 usually by several, narrow, irregular or broken bands anterior to this ; under 

 parts whitish, or pale ochraceous-buffy, spotted or broadly streaked, chiefly on 

 breast, with blackish; a loose broken band of dusky across belly; thighs often 

 ochraceous; tarsi feathered to the toes, in front; feet yellow; bill and claws 

 black. Immature, normal phase': Similar to adult, but terminal portion of tail 



1. Quoted by Bendire, Life Histories of N. A. Birds, p. 242 seq. 



