296 
HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES 
habits. It is to be distinguished in life from that species by its larger 
size, which, even in the field, is noticeable, and by its call. The usual 
note of the Red-tail is a long-drawn “squealing” whistle, which to 
my ear suggests the sound produced by escaping steam. 
“Of 562 stomachs examined, 54 contained poultry or game birds; 
51, other birds; 278, mice; 131, other mammals; 37, batrachians or 
reptiles; 47, insects; 8, crawfish; 1, centiped; 13, offal; and 89 were 
empty” (Fisher). 
337a. B. b. krideri Hoopes. Krider’s Hawk. Similar to Buteo b. 
borealis , but with much more white in the plumage; the head sometimes 
almost entirely white; the underparts only lightly streaked, and with the 
band on the belly sometimes obsolete; the tail in the ad. pale rufous, gen- 
erally without a terminal black band; in the im., pale rufous, or white, washed 
with rufous, and with numerous blackish bars. cT W., 15*00; T., 9*50. 
Range. — Great Plains from Wyo., N. D., and Minn., s. to Nebr. and Mo , 
and in winter to Wise., Ills., Tex., La., and Miss. 
SE. Minn., uncommon S. R. 
Nesting date , se. Minn., Apl. 22. 
337d. B. b. barlani ( And .). Harlan’s Hawk. Ads. — Upperparts 
dark sooty fuscous, bases of the feathers more or less barred with grayish 
or whitish and at times with some rusty; tail closely mottled with black, 
fuscous, rufous, and whitish; underparts varying from ‘white more or less 
spotted across the belly to sooty fuscous. Im. — Similar, but the tail barred 
with blackish, grayish, rufous, or whitish, tipped with white. <? L., about 
19*00; W., 15*50; T., 8*25. $L., about 21*00; W., 17*00; T., 9*25. 
Remarks. — The status of this form has not been satisfactorily established. 
Range. — Lower Miss. Valley and Gulf States, from La. to Ga. and Fla.; 
casual in Colo., Tex., Kans., Nebr., Iowa, Ills, and Pa. 
Dr. William L. Ralph, in Bendire’s “Life Histories of North Ameri- 
can Birds” (p. 218), reports this species as not uncommon during the 
winter in St. John’s and Putnam Counties, Florida. He writes: “They 
are exactly like the Red-tailed Hawks except in color, and their call- 
note is the same, only being longer drawn out. The call of the latter 
bird, as already stated, sounds like the squealing of a pig, or c kee-ee-e, f 
and that of Harlan’s Hawk like ‘kee-ee-ee-e-e-ee’ 
The Western Redtail {337b. B. b. calurus ) has been recorded from 
Illinois. 
Outram Bangs has described the breeding Red-tailed Hawk of southern 
Florida, and probably of Cuba, as Buteo borealis umbrinus. It is “darker above 
than Buteo borealis , the throat and middle of the belly marked with broad, 
conspicuous striping and banding of deep chocolate-brown; tail-feathers with 
dark brown markings (the remains of bands) near the shafts.” Owing to the 
lack of material the A. O. U. Committee on Classification and Nomenclature 
has deferred action on this proposed new race. 
339. Buteo Mneatus lineatus {Gmel.). (Fig. 50.) Red-shouldered 
Hawk. Ads. — Upperparts dark grayish fuscous-brown, more or less edged 
with rufous, ochraceous-buff, and whitish; four outer primaries “notched,” 
all barred with black and white; lesser wing-coverts rufous , forming a con- 
spicuous “shoulder” patch; tail black or fuscous, with four or five white 
cross-bars and a white tip ; throat streaked with blackish ; rest of underparts 
rufous or ochraceous-buff, everywhere barred with white or whitish. Im . — • 
Upperparts much as in the adult; basal part of the primaries mostly ochra - 
