12 THE AUD BOW 7Bivet a alee 
Is a tlicker fascinated 
in some way 
by a sparrow hawk? 
An odd interplay between these species noted on a clear August 
morning on the north-west edge of Waukegan, produced a vague 
recollection of something recently read—part of a discussion of 
a sparrow hawk’s food preference for insects over birds. As near 
as I could remember, an example had been given of a flicker sit- 
ting unconcernedly beside a sparrow hawk, in spite of the definite 
possibility of the former becoming food for the latter if mealtime 
was overdue. 
On the morning in question, I observed a yellow-shafted 
flicker making determined efforts to perch close to a sparrow 
hawk as the hawk made repeated forays away from an apparent- 
ly favorite power-line tower. The flicker would follow the hawk 
in a leisurely and non-harrassing manner, and then would sit a 
few feet away on the tower. The attraction evidently was not 
mutual, for the hawk finally made an irritated motion toward 
the flicker and the flicker flew away. 
What had I read and where? For peace of mind, I had to 
return to the public library and thumb through all bird books 
I could remember having looked at recently. Eventually I found 
it in the Eastern Sparrow Hawk description in Forbush’s ‘‘Nat- 
ural History of the Birds of Eastern and Central North Amer- 
ica.’ As an illustration of the little falcon’s playfulness, an inci- 
dent was presented of one seen amusing itself at the expense 
of two flickers. Calling loudly, it would hover over them for a 
few seconds, then dart down, passing them closely, then rise and 
hover again. 
Whenever they took flight, it would follow, making grace- 
ful curves and circles above and around them. It seemed obvious 
that this was done without malice, and the flickers seemed to 
take it in that spirit, showing no fear. 'In fact, more than once 
they flew into a tree where the sparrow hawk had just settled, 
alighting only a few feet away. However, Forbush goes on to 
say that if pressed by hunger, a sparrow hawk will not hesitate 
to attack a bird fully as large as itself, and then a flicker of a blue 
jay may be the first victim. 
‘The question still arises: why does the flicker take the risk 
of joining in the game? 
—Edwin L. Coffin 
