128 
FALCONIFORMES 
are scarcely if at all impaired. Of 206 stomachs examined: 3 contained 
poultry; 12, other birds; 102, mice; 40, other mammals; 20, reptiles; 30, 
batrachians (frogs, etc.); 92, insects; 16, spiders; 7, crawfish; 1, earth- 
worm; 2, offal; and 3, fish. It will thus be seen that its diet is varied. 
Whether the shrews, frogs, reptiles, and spiders are to be counted for or 
against the species is open to some doubt, but the large number of mice 
and insects against 3 of poultry and 12 birds obviously acquits the species 
of the charge of doing much damage. 
343. Broad-winged Hawk, la petite buse. Buleo plalypterus. L, 15-89. The 
smallest of the buteos (Figure 175 — 7). Similar in size to Cooper’s Hawk. Juvenile, dark 
brown above; white below, striped on sides of breast, flanks, and abdomen with dark. 
Much like a small, juvenile Red-tailed of the eastern or light type. Adult, above, dark, 
without any bluish tinge. Tail, dark, with two or three conspicuous light bars across. 
Below, dull rufous brown irregularly barred with white, the reddish more uniform towards 
the breast. Occasional melanotic or black specimens occur, but are exceptional and do 
not form a regular phase of the species. 
Broad-winged Hawk (juvenile); scale, T V 
Appearance in flight. 
Distinctions. Very much smaller than any other Buteo. Likely to be confused only 
with Cooper’s Hawk, but has three outer primaries emarginate (like Figure 188), instead 
of five as in Cooper’s and the other Acdpiters (Figures 180 and 183). In spite of its reddish- 
barred underparts, the adult is easily distinguished from the adult Acdpiters, by having 
no shade of biuish on the back, and the two to three prominent light tail bars considerably 
narrower than the intervening dark spaces and very pale brown without any greyisli 
suggestion. 
Field Marks. A small hawk, somewhat larger than Cooper’s, but of evident Buteo 
outline (Figure 175 — 7). Its call, a fine, long drawn-out squeak, like that of a rusty hinge, 
is very characteristic. The wings have a black border as if in mourning and the tail is 
very broadly barred (Figure 187). 
Nesting. In trees in the woods. 
Distribution, Eastern North America, westward in Canada through the wooded 
sections north of the prairies to near the Rocky Mountain foothills about latitude 55 
degrees. A bird of the birch-poplar and hard woods rather than of the dense spruce forest. 
A scarce migrant across the prairies. 
Economic Status. This is a bird of the open forest and bush-lands, 
fairly common in the east but hardly numerous enough in western Canada 
except, perhaps, in the wooded parts of Manitoba, to have economic 
importance. 
Of 57 stomachs examined: 2 contained small birds; 15, mice; 13, 
other mammals; 11, reptiles; 13, batrachians (frogs, etc.); 30, insects; 
2, earthworms; 4, crawfish. Without further analysis this evidence is 
sufficient to free this species from any stigma of being harmful. 
342. Swainson’s Hawk, la buse de sw ainson. Buteo swainsoni. L, 20. Plate 
XIV B. Nearly equal in size to the Red-tail. Although it has a light and dark phase and 
shows an equally bewildering variety of coloration it never lias a red tail. A common 
