Some Beneficial Birds and Their Protection 



By J. P. Gilbert 



The most important enemies to crops are undoubtedly the insect and rodent 

 pests. Insects with their poorly constructed digestive organs eat enormous quan- 

 tities of focKt but really digest only a small part of what they eat. It is said to 

 cost the farmer twice as much to feed our insect foes as it does to run our public 

 schools. Mi(je, rats and other rodents gorge themselves upon grasses and grains, 

 and often cut to pieces and waste far more than they eat. Rats alone are said to 

 destroy one hundred million dollars' worth of property in the United States each 

 year, and mice of all kinds, perhaps, do even more damage than do the rats. 

 These rodents all multiply with alarming rapidity and if not held in check might 

 almost briiig on a national calamity. 



It is doubtful if anything else is so important as hawks and owls in checking 

 outbreaks of destructive rodents. To keep up their high body temperature and 

 to produce the immense amount of energy needed on their hunting expeditions, 

 birds of prey must devour surprisingly large quantities of food. With but very 

 few exceptions, this food is made up of mice, rats, gophers, shrews and other 

 rodents. If this food runs out, an occasional hawk learns to eat poultry or birds. 

 This, however, is the exception rather than the rule. All the common land hawks 

 in Illinois, except two species, and all the owls seem to prefer these rodents for 

 food. This very necessary work cannot be done by cats, as some people believe. 

 If the cat is a mouser at all, she must sit down where mice and rats congregate 

 about the house or barn and there sit down, "like Micawber," and wait for "some- 

 thing to turn up." When rodents come within reach she springs upon them. But 

 this same cat would be useless in a broad field where rodents are scattered. To 

 successfully rid a field of meadow mice and other rodents, etc., requires the serv- 

 ices of birds of prey which can quickly fly over the broad fields and on noiseless 

 wing steal upon the pests while they are out of their hiding places. This very 

 necessary service is performed by hawks during the day and by owls in the twi- 

 light and by night. 



Only two common land-hawks in Illinois do notable injury, as a rule. Two 

 slaty gray hawks with black bars on tail and wing are noted poultry and bird 

 thieves. They are the little sharp-shinned hawk and his "big brother," the 

 Cooper's hawk. The latter bird is almost twice as large as the former. 



All other hawks of importance are decidedly beneficial. The sparrow hawk 

 eats large numbers of grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and mice. He is known 

 everywhere by his quick, ringing 'Killy ! Killy ! Killy !" as he wheels about build- 

 ings and parks or hovers upon beating wings above some spot in the field or 

 meadow until he locates the coveted insect or rodent upon which he so speedily 

 descends at the first opportunity. Because of his boldness, this beautiful little 

 hawk is frequently shot by those who do not understand his real value. The large 

 marsh hawk flies low over fields, meadows and lowlands, preferably near wood- 



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