IQ CIRCULAR 520, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



the whole length of each. The willet is sometimes noisy, and a com- 

 mon call, an oft-repeated pil-willet, shows that it is one of the birds 

 that have named themselves. The nest is a slight hollow lined with 

 grass; the number of eggs is four (as is usual with shore birds), and 

 their color variable, white to olive, spotted with brown to purplish. 

 The willet breeds from New Jersey, and winters from South Caro- 

 lina, southward. Its food is reported to be insects, mollusks, crus- 

 taceans, and small fishes, together with a slight admixture of 

 vegetable material. 



MARSH HAWK 



The marsh hawk (Circles hudsonim) is easily recognized, being 

 the only member of its group that has the rump white. This charac- 

 ter has given a related European species the name of ring-tailed 

 hawk. The marsh hawk appears to fly about somewhat lazily, usu- 

 ally not far above the cover it is beating and into which it drops 

 at any chance of catching prey, and may be seen in all Atlantic 

 coast salt marshes at all seasons. It feeds in about equal proportions 

 on mice and birds but captures a variety of other small creatures 

 also and is not averse to partaking of carrion. In some cases, from 

 man's point of view, its numbers may appear to be in need of con- 

 trol. The nest may be only a flattened place in marsh vegetation 

 but sometimes is built up a little with sticks or other material. 

 Usually three to six eggs are laid, bluish or greenish white, some- 

 times faintly spotted. 



SHORT-EARED OWL 



The short-eared owl (Asiw fiammetcs) lives in almost all parts of 

 the world but, breeding in open grassy lands, is quite at home in 

 salt marshes. The body coloration is tawny streaked with dark 

 brown, and large feathers of the wing and tail show considerable 

 patches of tawny. The bird is 12 to IT inches long but has a wing- 

 spread of 38 to 44 inches. The name refers to two short tufts of 

 feathers above the space between the eyes. Expert and noiseless in 

 flight, it flies more by day than most of the owls. It preys chiefly on 

 mice and scatters over the marsh pellets consisting of mouse bones 

 encased in balls of fur, remains of its meals that are ejected from 

 the mouth. 



RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 



The red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) (fig. 3) inhabits 

 the whole United States, so perhaps needs no mtroduction other than 

 calling attention to its bright-red, yellow-bordered epaulets, and its 

 gurgling ohalee call. This is uttered at almost regular intervals by 

 the males in spring after they have reached the breeding grounds and 

 "staked out a claim," where they await the coming of their mates. 

 Redwings may be seen along the entire coast line in summer, and from 

 Massachusetts south in winter. The birds are distinctly migratory, 

 however, and the summer and winter populations of a given area 

 no doubt are almost always different groups of individuals. The 

 female is smaller, brownish black above, and more or less buffy 

 and dark streaked below. The sexes share a chuck note that is 

 uttered often. This blackbird frequently builds its gTassy nest 



