HAWKS \N ■ h I ii i i> \l i< i . 
Hawks. Though hawks are our moat common bird* of pn 
many kinds are loo rare to exert r marked effect, either injurious or 
I m • 1 1 « ' t i < • i : 1 1 . upon l he interests of the farmer; but the most common 
kinds are widely distributed and their voracious appetites make them 
of considerable economic importance. Nearly all hawks feed more 
or less upon rodents, and their in<>-t frequent victims are the short- 
tailed field mice. 
Tin' marsh hawk, or harrier (Circus hudsonius)^ is probably ili>- 
most common and most widely distributed North American speci< 
It i> of medium size and may easily be recognized, while flying low 
oyer fields and meadow-, by its conspicuous white upper tail coverts. 
The results of an examination of 124 stomachs of this species are as 
follow-: Seven contained poultry or game; 34, small birds; 57, mi© 
•_'•_'. other mammal-: 7. reptiles; 2, frogs; 11. insects; and s were 
empty. Field mice were positively identified in II stomachs, avera| 
ing almost two to each stomach. Eight were found in one stomach. 
The ether mammals were mainly ground squirrels (spermophiles) 
and rabbits. 
Jhe buzzard hawks (genus Buteo) include -even species and six 
subspecies, all rather large and slow of wing. They are rarely able 
to capture a dome-tie or wild fowl. They live chiefly on small mam- 
mals, insects, snakes, and batrachians. The group includes such well- 
known bird- as the red-tailed hawk (Buteo borealis and four sub- 
species), red -shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus and two subspecies), 
Swainson hawk (Buteo swainsoni), and broad-winged hawk {lint,,, 
platypti nts). 
A summary of the food of 562 red-tailed hawks is as follows: 
Fifty-four of the stomachs contained poultry or game birds; 51, 
other bird-: 278, mice: 131, other mammals; 'M. batrachians and rep- 
tile-: 47. insects; 8, crayfish; 1. centipedes; 13, offal; and ^ ( -> were 
empty. Two hundred and twenty-eight stomachs contained 350 held 
mice. 
Of 220 stomachs of the red-shouldered hawk 3 contained poultry; 
12, other bird-: 102, mice: t0, other mammals; 20, reptiles; 39, batra- 
chians; 92, insects; 16, spiders; 7. crayfish; 1. earthworm.-: 2, offal; 
3, fish; and II were empty. Sixty-three stomachs contained 89 field 
mice. 
Of Swainson hawk-. L8 stomachs were examined. Of these 7 con- 
tained small mammals; 8 contained insects; 3, reptiles; 3, batrachians; 
and 3 were empty. One of the mammals was a mouse, and nearly all 
the insects were locusts and grasshoppers. Throughout its summer 
range tbi< species Lives almost entirely upon grasshoppers. 
Of broad-winged hawk-. 65 stomachs were examined, L5 of which 
contained mice, and 13 oilier small mammals. No poultry or game 
birds were found in the stomachs, and the chief food was insects. 
