Part 9

Range.—Eastern Mexico north to southern Texas.

PIGEONS AND DOVES—Order Columbæ Family Columbidæ

PASSENGER PIGEON 315. Ectopistes migratorius. 16 in.

Head and back bluish-slate; below, rich rusty brown. Only a few years ago, up to 1880, they were extremely abundant in eastern North America. Seemingly incredible stories are told of the immense flocks and roosting places of these birds, and most of them are authentic. It is unfortunate that the camera was not extensively used then, so we have no visual records of them. A nesting place in Michigan is described as 28 miles in length by about four in width, and every tree in the woods, throughout this whole tract, had several nests, and some were filled with them. Flocks darkening the sky and covering several square miles are recorded. And, today, but one or two stragglers are reported in a year, and these are usually doubtful. They were shot and netted at their roosting and nesting places, barreled up and sent to market for sale, this continuing so long as there were birds enough to make it profitable, and we reap the result—no birds.

MOURNING DOVE 316. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. 12 in.

Upperparts olive-brown; below, buffy-gray; a small black mark on the ears above the iridescent neck patch.

These birds never flock as Passenger Pigeons did, traveling in companies of six to a dozen, and they have no common nesting or roosting places, but nest anywhere in the woods, orchards or vines. As they are not often hunted, they are not shy, and in some localities are very tame, especially when they are breeding. Their food consists of seeds, grain, berries and insects, most of which they get from the ground. They nest either in trees, bushes or on the ground, most often the former. Their nests are very frail platforms, composed of only a few twigs and rootlets; when on the ground, usually no nest is made. Their two eggs are pure white, as are those of all doves. They are loving birds, always cooing to each other, and are very attentive to their young until they are full grown.

Range.—Breeds throughout the United States and southern Canada, except northern New England and the Provinces.

WHITE-FRONTED DOVE 318. Leptotila fulviventris brachyptera. 12 in.

No black ear-mark; under wing coverts rusty chestnut. Forehead whitish; all but central pair of tail feathers tipped with white.

Nest.—Indistinguishable from that of the next species.

Range.—Central America and Mexico, north in February to valley of Lower Rio Grande.

WHITE-WINGED DOVE 319. Melopelia asiatica. 12 in.

Large black patch on the ears; tail only moderately long, and broadly rounded, with large white ends to the outer feathers. Besides the regular cooing notes, common to doves, this species has a peculiar song likened by some, to the first attempts at crowing, of a young rooster.

Nest.—A shabby platform of twigs, lined with bits of weeds, moss and leaves; placed at any height from the ground in bushes, trees or cacti. Eggs white.

Range.—Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and casually southern Florida, southward.

GROUND DOVE 320. Chæmepelia passerina terrestris. 6.75 in.

Size very small; tail short and nearly square. Back of head blue-gray; forehead and most of underparts pinkish. Bill, feet and eye, more or less red.

Nest.—A frail structure of twigs, lined with pine needles; placed usually at low elevations in bushes. The two eggs are pure white.

Range.—South Atlantic and Gulf States; abundant near the coasts; winters throughout its range.

320a., Mexican Ground Dove, found from Texas to California, is slightly paler than the eastern species.

INCA DOVE 321. Scardafella inca. 8 in.

Tail long, with the outer feathers tipped with white, and shorter than the middle ones. Feathers mostly margined with brownish-black. The bases of the primaries are bright chestnut, and the whole underwing is of that color; bill black; eye and feet reddish.

Range.—Southern Texas, southern Arizona and southern New Mexico.

VULTURES, HAWKS AND OWLS—Order Raptores AMERICAN VULTURES—Family Cathartidæ

TURKEY VULTURE OR BUZZARD 325. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. 30 in.

Head naked; red or carmine; bill dull whitish; eyes brown; feet pinkish. Plumage blackish-brown.

Nest.—Their two eggs are laid upon the ground, between rocks, under logs, or in hollow trees; they are whitish, handsomely blotched with brown.

Range.—Breeds from the Gulf north to New Jersey, Illinois, Minnesota and British Columbia.

BLACK VULTURE 326. Catharista urubu. 24 in.

Entire plumage, including the naked head, black; feet and tip of bill yellowish. Under surface of the wings white, making it very easy to identify.

Nest.—Two eggs, greenish-white, blotched with brownish. (3.00 × 2.00).

Range.—Resident north to North Carolina, southern Illinois and Kansas.

FALCONS, HAWKS AND EAGLES—Family Falconidæ

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE 327. Elanoides forficatus. 24 in.

Tail long and deeply forked; plumage white, and glossy black; feet short but stout; bill black, with cere and feet bluish-gray. The flight of these birds is very swift and swallow-like; at times they circle about for long periods, on motionless wings; at others, they will be seen swooping over marshes and low ground; the evolutions they perform during the mating season are wonderful to behold, floating, sailing, doubling and turning, in all imaginable positions, as though they were a part of the air itself.

Notes.—A shrill whistled “peet-peet.”

Nest.—Composed of twigs, lined with moss and rootlets; usually located in the tops of trees at great heights; 90 to 125 feet from the ground not being uncommon; eggs pale bluish-white, very handsomely marked with brown (1.85 × 1.5).

Range.—Breeds north to Virginia, Manitoba and Minnesota; winters south of the United States.

WHITE-TAILED KITE 328. Elanus leucurus. 16 in.

Head, underparts and tail, white; shoulders black; upperparts gray. Young, with the back tinged with rusty. Their food consists largely of snakes, but they also eat a great many small rodents and insects.

Nest.—Made of sticks, weeds and leaves, and placed in trees at quite an elevation from the ground; eggs creamy white, profusely blotched with brown.

Range.—Texas to central California, and less often east of the Miss. River, north to South Carolina.

MISSISSIPPI KITE 329. Ictinia mississippiensis. 14 in.

Head, underparts and ends of secondaries, bluish-gray. Lores and tail black; back dark; eyes red.

Nest.—Of sticks and weeds in the tops of tall trees; eggs bluish white, usually unmarked, but occasionally with a few brownish specks (1.65 × 1.25).

Range.—Breeds north to South Carolina, southern Illinois and Kansas; winters south of the United States.

EVERGLADE KITE 330. Rostrhamus sociabilis. 15 in.

Bill very slender and much hooked, the lower mandible being decurved somewhat, to match the upper; the cutting edge of the bill without a tooth or notch, as most hawks and kites have. Lores naked and yellowish, like the cere; eyes red. Plumage blackish; rump and bases of outer tail feathers, as well as tip white. This tropical species is found in the United States, only in the southern half of Florida, in the densest swamps, being fairly abundant in the Everglades. They are said to feed exclusively upon a certain species of water snail, and each bird has a particular perch to which he takes every snail he captures, and after skillfully extracting the animal with its curiously modified beak, it drops the shell on the mound beneath. (Bendire).

Nest.—Of twigs, lined with leaves and weeds, placed at low elevations in bushes or underbrush, often over water; eggs pale greenish-white, spotted with brown.

Range.—Southern Florida.

MARSH HAWK 331. Circus hudsonius. 19 in.

Upper tail coverts and base of tail white. Male, blue-gray above; below, whitish, streaked and barred with rusty. Female and young.—Above rusty brownish-black; below rusty with dusky streaks on the breast and sides. As shown by its name, this hawk is found most abundantly in or around marshes or wet meadows. I have found them especially abundant in boggy marshes such as frequented by bitterns. Their flight is quiet and owl-like, and as they do most of their feeding toward dusk, they often seem like owls as they flit by without a sound. Their food is composed chiefly of meadow mice and moles, which they spy and dash down upon as they fly at low elevations.

Notes.—A shrill whistle when their nest is approached.

Nest.—Of grasses, on the ground in marshes; four plain bluish-white eggs (1.80 × 1.40); May, June.

Range.—Breeds locally in the whole of the United States and Canada, north to Hudson Bay; winters in the southern half of the United States.

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK 332. Accipiter velox. 12 in.

This little hawk, so near like the Cooper, is one of the most active of the family, and from this fact it gets its name _velox_, meaning swift. It is often seen in woods, orchard, or even about buildings in large cities, in which latter places, it does good service in catching English Sparrows. If they would confine their food to these birds, no one would object, but unfortunately they will take any little bird that comes within their reach, or that they are able to catch. They are one of the very few hawks that do live largely upon birds, and even they destroy a great many mice.

Notes.—A shrill, three-syllabled whistle.

Nest.—A rude and usually frail structure of twigs, placed in branches of trees, usually at quite low elevations (15 ft.). Eggs white, beautifully blotched with brown (1.45 × 1.15).

Range.—Breeds chiefly in northern U. S. and Canada; winters throughout the United States.

COOPER HAWK 333. Accipiter cooperi. 16 in.

This hawk is a large edition of the last species. All hawks vary in size, this one and the last, perhaps, more than any others. Female hawks are always the largest. A large female of the Sharp-shinned variety, is often as large as a small male Cooper, but the crown of the Cooper is darker than that of the Sharp-shinned, and his tail is always rounded, while that of the last species is nearly square at the end. This is also a destructive species; it is usually one of these two hawks, or the Goshawk, that is responsible for the ill-feeling with which farmers regard all of the family. All small hawks are known to farmers as “Chicken Hawks,” and large ones as “Hen Hawks,” but the majority of our hawks rarely disturb fowls.

Nest.—Of sticks in crotches of trees, usually quite high up; often old crows’ nests are used; eggs bluish-white, unmarked or very faintly specked with brown. (1.90 × 1.45); April.

Range.—Breeds from the Gulf north to southern Canada; winters from Mass. and Oregon southward.

AMERICAN GOSHAWK 334. Astur atricapillus. 23 in.

Adults, above bluish-slate, darkest on the crown; a whitish line over the eye; below white, finely waved with gray. Young, brownish-black, with lighter edgings to the feathers; below whitish, streaked with blackish-brown. Young birds can easily be distinguished from those of any other species by their large size and the long tail. This handsome species is one of the most rapacious and destructive of our birds of prey. Their short wings and long tail enable them to glide among the thickest foliage with great speed, and even the Ruffled Grouse cannot escape them. In the north where they live in summer, they destroy great numbers of Ptarmigan and Spruce Grouse, and come to us in the winter with their appetite whetted for a diet of poultry and our game birds, being exceedingly bold in their capture.

Nest.—Of sticks lined with weeds and bark, in tall trees; eggs white, unmarked.

Range.—Breeds throughout Canada; winters in the northern half of the United States.

HARRIS HAWK 335. Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi. 20 in.

Tail coverts, base and tip of tail, white. Adults with the shoulders, thighs and under wing-coverts, reddish-brown. Young with rusty edgings to feathers on the back; below, rusty buff with blackish spots or streaks; thighs barred with blackish. Space in front of eye, bare except for stiff hair-like bristles, yellowish like the cere. This species is the connecting link between the vultures and hawks of the genus _buteo_. Its feedings habits are similar to those of the vultures, with which it often associates when feeding upon carrion. They are very sluggish birds and their flight is slow and heavy; when not feeding they are usually perched on one foot on some dead limb, dozing.

Nest.—Made of sticks, twigs and weeds, placed in bushes or low trees. Their three or four eggs are dull white, unmarked (2.10 × 1.65).

Range.—Mexico, north to southern United States chiefly in Texas, but also found in New Mexico and casually east to Louisiana.

RED-TAILED HAWK 337. Buteo borealis. 21 in.

One of the handsomest and most powerfully built of our hawks. Adults with the tail rusty-red, with or without a narrow blackish band near the tip; below white, with a band of blackish streaks across the breast, and dusky markings on the sides. Young birds are similar, but have the tail grayish-brown with black bands. An examination of the food of this bird of prey, made by the Department of Agriculture, shows that, instead of living upon poultry as most farmers think, their food consists chiefly of frogs, snakes, lizards, mice and insects, less than one in ten of the stomachs examined containing any remains of poultry.

Notes.—A shrill whistle or scream.

Nest.—Of sticks, weeds, leaves and trash high up in tall trees; eggs white, spotted with blackish-brown.

Range.—Breeds in United States and Southern Canada; winters in the United States. 337a., Krider Hawk is a paler race found on the plains from Minn. to Texas. 337d., Harlan Hawk, is darker and has the tail mottled with blackish; found in the Gulf States.

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK 339. Buteo lineatus. 19 in.

Adults with the shoulders bright reddish-brown; primaries and secondaries barred with black and white; below buffy thickly barred with rusty-brown. Young with the shoulders duller; underparts white, streaked all over with blackish-brown. This is one of the most abundant of the birds of prey in Eastern United States, and it is also one of the most useful, destroying quantities of moles and field mice, as well as grasshoppers. Usually one or more pairs will be found in a piece of woods. One pair that I know, and I presume it is the same pair, each year has its nest on the edge of a colony of Black-crowned Night Herons and, during the season, they live and feed their young largely upon the young of these birds.

Nest.—Of sticks, lined with weeds and strips of bark; eggs white, blotched with brown (2.15 × 1.75). April, May.

Range.—Breeds from the Gulf to Maine and Minnesota. 339a. Fla. Red-Shouldered Hawk, found in Florida and north to So. Car., is paler colored.

SENNETT WHITE-TAILED HAWK 341. Buteo albicaudatus sennetti. 22 in.

Adults grayish-slate above and to the sides of the throat; tail and underparts white, the former with a subterminal band of black and indistinct wavy lines and the latter with fine barring on the sides. The shoulders are largely chestnut. Young birds are brownish-black above and usually white below, but the underparts are variable—often streaked with rusty and blackish, or even wholly black.

They are useful hawks, their food consisting chiefly of insects and moles or mice.

Nest.—Built in bushes in open land, rarely more than six feet above ground. Composed of sticks, dry weeds and grasses making a bulky structure visible for a long distance. Three eggs are not uncommon but two is the usual number; they are dirty white with very few marks of brown (2.35 × 1.85). Their nesting season ranges from as early as February to July.

Range.—Not uncommon on the Gulf coast of Texas and in the lower Rio Grande Valley, southwards into South America.

SWAINSON HAWK 342. Buteo swainsoni. 20 in.

This species has the greatest variety of plumages of any of our hawks. It has only three outer primaries notched near the tips, while the two last species, which are the only ones that can be confused with it, have four. Adults in the light phase have a band of rich chestnut across the breast. Adults in the dark phase are uniform blackish-brown, with some rusty edgings and with thighs more or less rusty. Young birds are buffy below, with elongated blackish spots. Its harmless character can be understood from the fact that it is no unusual sight to find other birds, such as Arkansas Kingbird and Bullock Oriole, nesting in the same tree; and the first mentioned species goes even further than this, sometimes constructing its home in the sides of the nests of the hawks.

Nest.—Of sticks and twigs, either in trees or on the ground on rocky ledges; eggs white, spotted with brown (2.20 × 1.70).

Range.—Western N. A., breeding from Texas to the Arctic regions; east to Illinois and west to the Pacific.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK 343. Buteo platypterus. 16 in.

Adults grayish-brown above; below, streaked on the throat and breast, and barred below, with rusty-brown; tail with three blackish bars. Young similar above; below white, streaked with blackish-brown. They are most apt to be confused with the Cooper and Red-Shouldered Hawk, but when in flight, it can usually be distinguished at a distance, from the former by its shorter tail, and from the latter by its smaller size and rounded wings. They may be classed as abundant east of the Great Plains. They are rather solitary in their habits, especially during the breeding season, when but one pair is usually found in a piece of woods.

Notes.—A long, squeaking wail, sounding much like two branches rubbing together and creaking.

Nest.—Of sticks, invariably lined with pieces of bark; usually placed in crotches next to the trunks of large trees, but not usually at a great height; eggs whitish, more or less blotched with brown and gray.

Range.—Breeds north to New Brunswick and Manitoba; winters in southern half of the United States.

AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK 347a. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. 22 in.

Legs feathered to the toes. Adults blackish on the back and belly; head and breast, more or less grayish-white, streaked with dusky; tail white, barred on the end with black; eyes brown. In the dark phase they are blackish-brown, more or less mixed with rusty. This large, heavily-built species is found in the United States, only in winter; it frequents thinly wooded districts or meadows, where it catches its prey, which consists of small rodents, insects and reptiles. It is very irregular in its appearance, especially in the east, but it is most often found near the coast. It is a sluggish species and I doubt if it does any harm to wild birds or to poultry; it certainly does a great deal of good.

Nest.—Of sticks, on rocky ledges; eggs bluish-white, boldly splashed with brown (1.90 × 1.55).

Range.—Breeds north of the United States border; winters in northern United States.

FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK 348. Archibuteo ferrugineus. 23 in.

Legs feathered to the toes. Adults with back, shoulders, thighs and legs, rusty, barred or streaked with black; tail grayish-white, tinged with rusty. Young birds are brownish-black, above and without any rusty below. In the dark phase they are sooty-brown, more or less varied with rusty, and the tail is the same as in the light plumage. Their bill is larger and tail longer than that of the last species. A fairly abundant hawk on the plains and prairies west of the Miss., usually not at a great distance from water.

Nest.—Usually on the ground on bluffs or rocky ledges, but sometimes in trees; made of sticks and weeds; sometimes used year after year, and then becoming bulky, as it is added to each year; eggs white, handsomely spotted and blotched with blackish-brown, very variable.

Range.—Breeds west of the Miss., from Kansas, locally, and the Dakotas, abundantly, north to Saskatchewan. Winters south to Mexico.

GOLDEN EAGLE 349. Aquila chryœtos. 35 in.

Legs feathered to the toes. Plumage blackish-brown, adults having the lengthened feathers on the nape, golden-brown, and the tail more or less mixed with white; leg feathers rusty. These large, handsome, well-built birds of prey are fairly abundant in thinly settled country west of the Miss., especially in mountains and foot-hills. They are very powerful birds and a single pair of them will rule the whole country in which they reside. They are very shy in the presence of man and will never attack a person or show fight unless wounded or surprised at their meals. Their food consist of prairie dogs, rodents, ducks and even fawns.

Notes.—A shrill a “kee-kee-kee.”

Nest.—A very bulky structure of large sticks, lined with twigs, needles and in some cases evergreen; eggs creamy-white, spotted, splashed and clouded with various shades of brown and gray (2.90 × 2.50).

Range.—West of the Miss., from Mexico northward; rarely eastward to the Atlantic coast.

BALD EAGLE 352. Haliœetus leucocephalus. 34 in.

Legs not feathered to the toes. Adults with white head and tail. Young birds similar in color to those of the Golden Eagle, but blacker and with the legs always bare on the lower half. Young, with brown eyes, like those of the last; adults with yellow eyes and feet. This handsome bird of prey, our national emblem, is resident and locally distributed throughout the United States and Canada, always near streams or lakes, and most abundant on the seacoasts. Their food, like that of the Golden Eagle, is chiefly caught by themselves, and consists of any small mammals, geese, ducks, etc., and during the summer, or when their usual food is scarce, they feed upon fish, which they either catch for themselves or taken by force from Ospreys.

Nest.—Of sticks large and bulky, and usually in tops of very tall trees; two eggs, pure white (2.75 × 2.10).

Range.—Resident locally in whole of North America.

WHITE GRYFALCON 353. Falco islandus. 23 in.

Adults in perfect plumage, pure white, slightly barred on the back and spotted below with black.

Nest.—Of sticks, lined with grasses and feathers; placed on ledges of cliffs; eggs bulky white, specked with reddish brown, often so thickly that the ground color is obscured (2.30 × 1.80).

Range.—Arctic region, breeding in Northern Greenland, and wintering to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and casually to northern Maine.

GRAY GYRFALCON 354. Falco rusticolus. 23 in.

Adults white, heavily barred above, and streaked below with gray and black.

Range.—Arctic regions, south in winter, rarely to northern United States.

354a. GYRFALCON (F. r. gyrfalco). Similar to the last but darker, the latter being usually more white than dusky, while this is the reverse.

354b. BLACK GYRFALCON (F. r. obsoletus). Much darker than the last, the markings tending to be buffy white spots on a grayish black ground.