HAWKS 133 



gomery County. Fresh eggs were taken at Leighton, April 

 29, 1887 and April 10, 1889. 



General habits. — This hawk well deserves the name of 

 "chicken hawk," which, however, is commonly applied to the 

 larger and less harmful species — the red-tailed and red- 

 shouldered hawks. It is a bold and dashing marauder, and 

 does not hesitate sometimes to snatch up a fowl from before 

 the very eyes of the owner. Dr. Avery, writing of this bird, 

 says: 



This hawk seems to be the greatest enemy of domestic fowls. 

 But above all birds he seems to prefer the tame pigeon. Two 

 or three times a week my pigeons have to fly for their lives. 

 When very hungry a Cooper's hawk will make repeated at- 

 tempts at capturing his quarry before he will desist. Several 

 years ago I fired both barrels of my gun at one of these hawks 

 while in pursuit of my pigeons. In less than thirty minutes 

 he returned and carried off a pigeon.f 



On Henry Golsan's farm near Autaugaville, in April, 1912, 

 one of these hawks visited the poultry yard quite regularly 

 and carried off a chicken every few days. The usual haunts 

 of this bird are "moderately timbered districts, interspersed 

 with cultivated fields and meadows" (Bendire) . The nest is 

 placed in trees, usually saddled in a fork close to the trunk. 

 Old nests of crows or of the larger hawks are often utilized. 



Food habits. — The food of this species comprises, besides 

 poultry and pigeons, wild birds from the size of robins and 

 meadowlarks and smaller ; small mammals, as squirrels, chip- 

 munks, rabbits, mice, etc.; reptiles, amphibians, and insects. 



RED-TAILED HAWK : Buteo borealis borealis (Gmelin). 



State records. — The red-tail (fig. 3) is one of the largest 

 hawks and is one of several known as "hen hawk" or "chicken 

 hawk." It is a permanent resident in the State, but its num- 

 bers are considerably augmented in winter by the arrival of 

 migrants from more northern regions. A number of speci- 

 mens, from Greensboro, Autaugaville, Montgomery, Bara- 

 chias, and Guntersville, have been examined and all are typical 



tAvery, W. C„ Amer. Field, vol. 34, p. 584, 1890. 



