160 
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and other localities in the Great 
Basin, destroying and eating up every green thing as they move 
along. . . . 
“ I cannot recall a single instance where one of these birds visited 
a poultry yard. . . . From an economic point of view I consider it 
by far the most useful and beneficial of all our hawks.” (Bendire.) 
During the migrations flocks of one or two hundred Swainson 
hawks are sometimes seen on the ground catching grasshoppers or 
sitting along the barbed-wire fences looking for small rodents. 
343. Buteo platypterus ( Vieill. ). Broad-winged Hawk. 
Adults. — Upper parts dark brown, wing quills and tail blackish, tail 
narrowly tipped with white, and with 2 to 4 broad grayish bands; under 
parts from dark brown to rusty or rufous. Young: tail narrowly tipped 
with white and crossed by 5 to 7 blackish bands; sides of head and under 
parts dull white or buify, marked with long dark streaks, cordate spots on 
sides, and barring on thighs. Male: length 18.25-15.00, wing 9.85-10.70, 
tail 6.50-7.00, bill .70. Female: length 16-18, wing 11.00-11.40, tail 7-8, 
bill .70-80. 
Remarks. — In normal plumage the broad-winged and the Swainson sug¬ 
gest each other, but differ in the much smaller size of the broad-wing, as 
well as the white belly and thighs, and 9 or 10 tail bands of the Swainson. 
Distribution. — Breeds in eastern North America from New Brunswick 
and Saskatchewan south — mainly east of the Mississippi — to Mexico; 
migrating through Central America and the West Indies to northern South 
America. Recorded from 101° in Texas. 
Nest. — In trees, generally not more than 25 feet from the ground; of 
sticks, lined largely with strips of bark or leaves. Eggs: usually 2 or 3, 
grayish or pale greenish, marked irregularly with lavender, pearl gray, 
and sometimes brown. 
Food. — Ground squirrels, wood mice, field mice, shrews, moths, grass¬ 
hoppers, crickets, and beetles. 
The eastern broad-wing has been found along wooded rivers in 
western Texas. 
GENUS URUBITINGA. 
345. Urubitinga anthracina ( Licht.). Mexican Black Hawk. 
Tail about two thirds as long as wing, emarginate or nearly even ; 4 
outer primaries sinuate on inner webs; primaries exceeding secondaries by 
less than length of naked front of tarsus; tarsus much longer than mid¬ 
dle toe and claw, only feathered for a short distance. 
Adults. — Whole bird black except for tail, which has a white base, tip, 
and medium cross band. Young : under parts buffy, streaked with black¬ 
ish ; thighs heavily barred with blackish ; upper parts blackish, streaked 
with whitish, buffy, and rufous; tail banded obliquely with black and 
white. Male: length 21.50, wing 13.15-14.90, tail 7.90-9.75, bill 1.00-1.05. 
Female : length 20.00-22.50, wing 14.25-16.00, tail 9.25-11.00, bill 1.05- 
1 . 10 . 
Distribution .—From Arizona and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in 
Texas south to northern South America. 
Nest. — Bulky, of sticks and herbage, lined with dry leaves, and placed 
