186 
game. Except where game is the most valuable crop, its presence is to be 
encouraged and shooting resorted to only where its depredations are particu- 
larly serious. 
Accipiters or Short-winced Hawks 
General Description. Very small to large Hawks with short, rounded wings and long 
tail. (Figure 202 — 2, 3, 4). Under-surface of primaries and secondaries regularly barred 
to tip. The five outer primaries emarginate (See Figures 205 to 212). 
The Accipitrine Hawks are woodland birds that beat about the tree-tops or along the 
edges of the woods; they do not habitually soar high in the open. They take their prey 
by surprise and quick attack rather than by open pursuit. Their short wings (Figure 205) 
and long tail give rapid bursts of speed and flexibility of manoeuvre, but are not suited to 
long-sustained effort. 
Economic Status. These are the only common species of Canadian 
Hawks for which little good can be claimed. They are active and spirited 
and though without the great strength and endurance of the true Falcons 
do far more real damage than their larger and heavier 
relatives. The term “Chicken Hawk” popularly applied 
to any small Hawk receives its meaning from these birds. 
They never eat carrion but always make fresh kills, 
rarely returning to partly devoured prey. Fortunately 
the two commoner species are small and their capacity 
Figure 206 for damage is slight in consequence. The one large 
Untoothed Bill of a nd powerful member of the group, the Goshawk, is of 
ccipi r ‘ more limited distribution and, except in unusual winters, 
is less commonly seen in the more settled parts of southern Canada, 
except in the mountains where elevation brings northern conditions within 
easy flight distance of agriculture. 
332. Sharp-shinned Hawk, chicken hawk. Acdpiter velox. L , 11-25. Plate 
XXV A. The smallest of the Accipiters. About the size of the Sparrow Hawk and Pigeon 
Hawk (Figure 202 — 2). Similar in colour and plumage sequence to Cooper's Hawk. In 
juvenility: striped with dark brown and white; adults: back dark blue and breast barred 
with dull reddish and white. 
