JULY, 1917 
FOREST AND S T R E A M 
311 
Cooper’s Hawk, Dread Enemy of Domesticated Doves 
THE FATE OF THE STARLING 
and 
DITOR Forest 
Stream: 
Again my attention 
has been called to the 
subject of starlings by 
an article by Mr. Wil¬ 
bur F. Smith, and I can¬ 
not refrain from asking: 
Does it not seem that 
there is much said about 
ridding our districts of 
starlings, but little done 
about it? The subject indeed needs pre¬ 
meditation, and I find that the more I 
think about it, the more I feel that it is 
a matter to decide immediately. I sup¬ 
pose to get at the source of our trouble, 
we should have hanged the man who 
thought of transporting the first two birds 
—but this is useless now. A study of 
the bird is fundamental, and I claim to 
have gathered a bit of information by 
close observation. 
To begin with, many people seem to 
think that the starling associates with no 
other bird. Indeed, one person once sug¬ 
gested that it would be advisable to leave 
the starling alone until it had completely 
driven out the English sparrow. As a 
matter of fact, these two birds are great 
pals. They roost in the same trees, and 
under the same sheds; they are just about 
equally dirty and quarrelsome, but seem to 
live together in perfect harmony. This 
fact, however, will not prove detrimental 
but advantageous to any scheme of ridding 
the country of undesirable birds. As Mr. 
Smith suggests, the starling does not con¬ 
fine his residence to the towns, but is it 
not true that he, like aristocratic people, 
has two homes—-one in the country for 
summer, and a city home in winter? This 
fact would act as an aid to the starling’s 
capture also. It is evident, from the size 
of the birds, that the English sparrow can 
subsist on less food than the starling; thus 
making it comparatively easy to allure the 
starling with crumbs in the midst of win¬ 
ter. 
Indubitably, winter is the season to start 
the attack. But to exterminate the star¬ 
ling—and I believe that is the only alter¬ 
native we have of relieving ourselves of 
the pests at all—the co-operation of the 
entire country is necessary. 
Branford, Conn. T. F. Hammer. 
Stream enumerated most of the short¬ 
comings of this species, but he did not 
offer any definite evidence of its value as 
an insect destroyer. Without that, of 
course, no accurate decision as to the 
bird’s economic status can be reached. This 
value stomach examination alone can give 
conclusively, and the Biological Survey's 
investigations are understood already to 
have revealed facts that prove the star¬ 
ling one of the most effective bird enemies 
of terrestrial insect pests. 
While much prejudice against this bird 
exists among bird lovers simply because 
it is a foreigner, now that the starling is 
here, of course the Biological Survey’s 
estimate of its economic status will be 
based upon the same principles that govern 
its decisions regarding native birds. 
SOME COMMON GAME BIRDS 
By HUBERT HUTTON 
III. COOPER’S HAWK 
A CCIPITER coopcri, or Cooper’s hawk, 
is found by the experts of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture to be re¬ 
sponsible in part for the general condem¬ 
nation of birds of prey. Mr. McAtee says 
that “Cooper’s hawk, which occurs through¬ 
out the United States, is preeminently a 
‘chicken hawk.’ ” It is by far the most 
destructive species we have to contend 
with, not because it is individually worse 
than the goshawk, but because it is so 
much more numerous that the aggregate 
damage done far exceeds that of all other 
birds of prey. It is strong enough to carry 
away a good-sized chicken, grouse, or cot¬ 
tontail rabbit. It is especially fond of do¬ 
mesticated doves, and when it finds a cote 
easy of approach it usually takes a toll of 
one or two a day. 
IV. SPARROW HAWK 
Falco sparverius, or sparrow hawk, 
ranges over almost the whole of North 
America. While the smallest of the hawk 
family in this country, it is also one of the 
handsomest, and is perhaps best known. 
Illustrated by Courtesy of United States De¬ 
partment of Agriculture. 
Government experts have shown this bird 
to be mainly beneficial, though at times it 
attacks small birds and young chickens. 
This bad characteristic, however, is offset 
by its good services in destroying insects 
and mice. 
The Sparrow Hawk: Insect Destroyer 
An investigation of the economic status 
of the starling was begun by the Biological 
Survey in the spring of 1916. Stomach 
examination of the material collected in 
that season is still in progress, and inas¬ 
much as a very large number of these 
birds were secured the results obtained 
should be a close approximation to the 
truth. 
Wilbur Smith in the April Forest and 
