CHAPTER IV.

THE LONG-LEGGED HAWKS AND BUZZARDS.

THE BANDED GYMNOGENE--Habits--Its Movable Tarsi--THE HARRIERS--Distinctive Features--THE MARSH HARRIER--Habits--Its Thievish Propensities--THE HARRIER-HAWKS--Colonel Greyson’s Account of their Habits--THE CHANTING GOSHAWKS--Why so Called--Habits--THE TRUE GOSHAWKS--Distinctive Characters--THE GOSHAWK--Distribution--In Pursuit of its Prey--Appearance--THE SPARROW-HAWKS--Distinctive Characters--THE COMMON SPARROW-HAWK--Habits--Appearance--THE BUZZARDS--Their Tarsus--THE COMMON BUZZARD--Where Found--How it might be turned to Account--Food--Its Migrations--Habits--Appearance--THE HARPY.

THE SECOND SUB-FAMILY OF THE FALCONIDÆ.--THE LONG-LEGGED HAWKS (_Accipitrinæ_).

All the Hawks included under this heading are remarkable for their long legs, in which the tibial bone and the tarsus are about equal in length. In all the other Hawks, Eagles, Kites, Buzzards, and Falcons, the tibia is always longer than the tarsus.

The Long-legged Hawks are not such powerful birds of prey as the Eagles or Falcons, and do not possess, as a rule, the same dash and courage in pursuing their quarry, many of them feeding on a low kind of diet, and being robbers of eggs and destroyers of young birds. The birds of prey belonging to this sub-family are--1. The Gymnogenes; 2. The Harriers; 3. The Goshawks; 4. The Sparrow-Hawks.

THE BANDED GYMNOGENE[173] (_Polyboroides[174] typicus_).

From its general appearance, especially in its naked yellow face, this remarkable Hawk is considered to be a close ally of the Secretary Bird; but the proportions of its legs and its habits proclaim it to be nearly related to the Harriers. Two kinds of Gymnogenes are known, one inhabiting Africa, and the other being found in Madagascar. The food of the present species appears to consist of Frogs and Lizards, and at times it walks over the ground which has been recently burnt, in pursuit of insects and small reptiles; at other times it will sit for a long time on stumps by pools of water, watching for Frogs, which in such situations form its favourite food. The Gymnogenes are remarkable in the class of birds for being able to put their leg “out of joint” at will (that is to say, they can bend the tarsus backwards just as they please); and this is a fact which may be accepted as a certainty, since its truth has been tested by many trusty and independent observers. One of these, the late M. Jules Verreaux, states that the tarsi are movable at the “knee”-joint toward the front from behind, a provision which, from the facility it affords the bird for drawing up Frogs out of the marsh-holes by means of its talons, is of no little service to it. The exceedingly compressed toes of this species also enable it to introduce its long tarsi into the narrow crevices of the rocks. He saw it twist and turn its legs in all directions in capturing its prey in marshy places. Mr. Thomas Ayres also says that “the legs of this bird bend backward at the knee in an extraordinary manner, very much as if they were out of joint.”

The Banded Gymnogene is nearly twenty-four inches in length, and is of a light grey colour, with black wings, the secondaries being grey like the back, with a black band before the tip; the lower back is white barred with black; the tail black with a white tip and a white bar across the middle; the throat and chest are grey like the back, and the rest of the under surface is white barred with black. The cere and bare space round the eye are yellow when the bird is alive.

THE HARRIERS (_Circus_).

All the Harriers have a facial disc as in the Owls, though not so distinct as in the latter group of birds. In both, however, the disc is formed by a ruff of soft, close-set plumes, which encircle the face; and hence in most classifications the Harriers have been considered as being closely allied to the Owls, on account of their having this “facial disc.” Their structure and habits, however, entirely do away with the idea of there being any real affinity between these two groups of accipitrine birds.

Before the draining of the fens in England, Harriers were by no means uncommon in certain localities; but they are becoming rarer year by year, as each favourite haunt passes from them under the dominion of the agriculturist. Three kinds were found in England, of which the Hen Harrier (_Circus cyaneus_) was the rarest; Montagu’s Harrier (_C. pygargus_) was the most plentiful and the most widely distributed; and the Marsh Harrier, or Moor Buzzard (_C. æruginosus_), the most powerful. This is the species which has held its own best, as it is still found breeding in some few places in the United Kingdom. The habits of all the Harriers are very similar, and the genus Circus is probably--with the exception of the Peregrine Falcons--the most universally distributed of any Raptorial birds, for there is scarcely any part of the world where a Harrier is not found.

THE MARSH HARRIER (_Circus æruginosus_).

This is an inhabitant of the Old World, where it enjoys a wide range. It is one of the greatest robbers of eggs and young birds, being, in countries where it is still plentiful, a great nuisance to the sportsman, as, says Colonel Irby, “slowly hunting along in front, it puts up every Snipe and Duck that lies in its course, making them unsettled and wild.”[175] The same authority furnishes the following interesting particulars about the habits of the present species:--“In Andalusia, as well as in Morocco, over all low wet ground, the Marsh Harrier is to be seen in vast numbers, particularly in winter. Great quantities remain to breed, sometimes as many as twenty nests being within three hundred yards of one another. The latter, loosely constructed with dead sedges, vary very much in size and depth, and are usually placed amidst rushes in swamps, but sometimes on the ground among brambles and low brushwood, always near water, though occasionally far from marshes. They begin to lay about the end of March, and at that time fly up a great height, playing about, and continually uttering their wailing cry. The eggs are bluish-white, and usually four or five in number; they certainly vary in size and shape, and are often much stained. Like the eggs of all the Harriers that I am acquainted with, and many others of the Accipitres, when blown and held up to the light they show a bluish tinge. I once found a nest containing only one egg nearly ready to hatch, and saw another with six eggs (three quite fresh, and the other three hard sat on). I believe that if the first set of eggs be taken they lay again in a fresh nest, as I found sets of fresh eggs as late as the 2nd of May.

“Cowardly and ignoble, they are the terror of all the poultry which are in their districts, continually carrying off chickens, and, like other Harriers, are most terribly destructive to the eggs and young of all birds. On account of these propensities, I never let off a Marsh Harrier unless it spoiled sport to fire at one. Sometimes, when at Casa Vieja, and the Snipe were scarce, we used to lie up in the line of the Harriers’ flight to their roosting-places; for they always take the same course, and come evening after evening within five minutes of the same time. Upon one occasion a friend and myself killed eleven, and during the visit accounted for over twenty. I also upon every possible opportunity destroyed the nest and shot the old ones; but it was the labour of Sisyphus, for others immediately appeared. However, there was a visible diminution of their numbers at Casa Vieja. I never saw rats in their nests or crops, and believe they have not the courage to kill them; small snakes, frogs, wounded birds, eggs, and nestlings unable to fly, form the main part of their prey. I have seen the Marsh Harrier hawking over the sea about two hundred yards from the shore, where there was shallow water, but could not see what they were taking.”

THE HARRIER-HAWKS (_Micrastur_[176]).

These constitute a little genus of Hawks peculiar to the New World, where they form a perfect link between the Harriers and the Goshawks. In form they are stoutly-built birds like the latter, while they retain the facial ruff of the Harriers, and hence the name of Harrier-Hawk adopted for them here. Their habits are well described by a good observer, the late Colonel Greyson, of the U.S. Army, who writes of the largest species of the genus, the Harrier-Hawk (_Micrastur semitorquatus_):--“Among the great variety of Hawks to be met with in a single day’s excursion in the locality of Mazatlan, none are so easily recognised as this peculiar and interesting species. I have found it only in the heavy forests, or the immediate vicinity of a thickly-wooded country, where its slender form and lengthened tail attract our attention as it swiftly glides through the tangled woods with that remarkable ease which we have often noticed in the Sharp-shinned Hawk (_A. fuscus_). It appears to be strictly arboreal in its habits, and possessed of wonderful activity, either in springing from branch to branch without opening its wings, or rapidly darting through the intricacies of the bush with apparently but little difficulty. I have seldom seen one of these Hawks in an open country, and have never seen one flying higher than the tree tops, where they are met with. Its wings are rather short, and its flight is performed by rapidly repeated strokes, only for a short distance at a time. It preys upon various species of wood birds, which it captures by darting upon them on the ground or in the bushes; but the Chachalaca is its favourite game. This is a gallinaceous bird, or wild chicken, about the size of, or lighter than, the common hen, and is entirely arboreal, seldom running upon the ground, but is able by its peculiarly-formed feet to cling to, or spring rapidly through, the thickest branches with great agility; but this Hawk follows it with equal facility, until an opportunity offers to strike its prey, then both come to the ground together, the Hawk being the lighter bird. I witnessed a scene of this kind that took place when I was endeavouring to get a shot at a Chachalaca, as it was jumping about the very thick branches of an acacia overgrown with lianas; it appeared to be in great distress, uttering its harsh notes of alarm, and spreading its fan-shaped tail. Suddenly I saw one of these Hawks pounce upon it; when with harsh screams of terror and pain the Chachalaca dragged its captor to the ground, where they struggled for a few moments, but the unfortunate bird was soon overcome. The struggling and screams of the Chachalaca created a great commotion among the denizens of the woods; far and near were heard the harsh cries of other members of its family, and the Urraca Magpie, with streaming tail and ludicrous gesticulations, as well as the Blue-back Jay, and other birds in the neighbourhood, gathered around to witness the scene of rapine. Suddenly appeared in the midst of this clamour a larger Hawk (_Buteo Harrisi_, Aud.), which rushed at once upon the captor of the Chachalaca. Unable to withstand so heavy a charge, he was compelled to give up his honestly captured prey to a superior force, thus proving the old adage that ‘might is right.’ The slender but compact figure of our present subject was now seen perched upon a neighbouring bough, scrutinising, with a vicious eye, the more powerful but less active bird of prey, as he vainly attempted to bear off the lifeless form of the Chachalaca; but there was one yet mightier than he. I observed it for a few moments, then shot it, as also the Long-tailed Hawk, thus securing all three.

“They build their nest of dry twigs and moss, which is placed in a very tall tree, but below the higher branches. The only nest I have seen was inaccessible, therefore I regret that I am unable to describe the eggs.”

THE CHANTING GOSHAWKS (_Melierax_[177]).

These birds are met with in Africa only, and they have received the name of “Chanting” Goshawks from their song, which has been stated by the French traveller, Levaillant, to be of considerable power, for he says he has heard the male of the Cape species (_Melierax canorus_) sing for hours together in the twilight of morning and evening, and sometimes through the night. This, however, has been questioned by Mr. Layard, who is well known as an authority on African birds, and who observed the species in some abundance in certain parts of South Africa. According to this observer, the bird will perch on the top of a high tree, utter its “mellow piping whistle,” and fly off again. He has also heard it call when flying. Now, although the Chanting Goshawks may not have such powers of song as have been credited to them, it is certain that they really have a more varied note than is the case with other Goshawks, and the Red-faced Goshawk (_Melierax gobar_) is said to whistle very much and better than _M. canorus_. About five different species of Chanting Goshawks are known, all being from Africa: hence the genus _Melierax_ is one of those forms characteristic of the _Ethiopian region_, which embraces Africa below the Sahara desert. One species only, the Many-banded Goshawk (_Melierax polyzonus_), a frequent bird in Abyssinia and Senegambia, is known to wander beyond the limits of the above-named region, as it occurs in Mogador, whence living specimens have been more than once sent to the Zoological Gardens.

The habits of the Chanting Goshawks are very similar to those of the ordinary Goshawks of more northern climates, the larger species feeding on Quails, Francolins, and other small game, reptiles, and locusts, while the less powerful kinds devour small birds and reptiles. The colour of the plumage is a pearly-grey in the South African Chanting Goshawk (_M. canorus_), the belly being white with greyish cross-lines; the rump is white; the primary quills black; tail dusky, tipped with white and crossed by broad white bars; the cere and legs are red; the iris dark brown. It measures about three feet in length. This style of colouring is found in all the species, excepting one small one, which is entirely black all over, save some white spots on the tail, and is known as the Black Goshawk (_Melierax niger_).

THE TRUE GOSHAWKS (_Astur_).

These are represented nearly all over the world, every country having one or more species of the genus Astur, excepting the continent of South America, which possesses only two kinds, both of them rare and of limited range. More than thirty different species of the genus have been described, and they present great differences in size and style of coloration, their habits varying equally, according to the strength and power of the birds; but they are all remarkable for a very sturdy bill, and thick-set legs and sharp talons. A Goshawk may always be told by the latter characters, and by its short toes, which are perhaps smaller in proportion to the size of the bird than in any other group of the birds of prey.

These birds, and the Sparrow-Hawks, have very short wings, and have not the same power of flight as in the true Falcons, which are long-winged birds; and hence, in the old days of falconry, they were never considered of such value as the Peregrine in the chase. They were also called Hawks of the “fist,” as they were flown at game from the hand, instead of soaring down on the quarry from aloft.

THE GOSHAWK (_Astur palumbarius_).

This is the largest and most powerful of all the genus, as it is also the best known, being found all over the northern parts of Europe and Asia. It used to be of more frequent occurrence in Britain formerly than it is now; and although it can only nest in this country on the rarest occasions in the present day, the author was introduced to an old gamekeeper on the Marquis of Huntly’s estate at Aboyne, who perfectly remembered the Goshawk breeding regularly at Glentanner. A young bird is still captured now and then in autumn, one of the last instances being that of a young male, who was captured in an area at Hampstead, on the 3rd of August, 1872, and is now in the British Museum.

It will feed on nearly every kind of bird and animal that it is able to catch, and in falconry it is principally employed to take Hares and Rabbits; it will also take Pheasants and Partridges, a great number of these latter birds being killed by the Goshawk in its wild state. It is able to pursue its quarry with great dexterity through a wooded country, and it possesses great powers of abstinence, so that, if its prey escapes into cover for the time, the Hawk will often wait for its re-appearance, and will generally exhaust the patience of the quarry, and succeed in capturing it. During the daytime it remains solitary in dark fir-forests, and comes out to feed in the morning and evening. The nest is often a huge structure, being added to year by year; and an immense nest is figured in Professor Newton’s “Ootheca Wolleyana.” Some idea of the size may be gained from the story told by Mr. Wolley, who climbed up to one that was placed a good height up in a large Scottish fir, and when he stood on the same branch with the nest, the latter still reached several inches above his head, so that the building of this nest had probably been the work of several years.

The old birds are alike in plumage; but the female, as is the case with all Goshawks, is larger than the male, measuring about two feet in length, while the male does not exceed twenty inches; the wing also, which is about twelve inches in the male, exceeds fourteen in the female. The colour is grey, the head black, the sides of the face white, streaked with black lines; below, the under surface of the body is white, barred across with black cross-bars of ashy-brown; the under tail-coverts are white; quills and tail ashy-brown, the tail feathers tipped with white; cere yellow; bill bluish; iris orange. The young birds differ considerably from the adults, being rufous below, with longitudinal streaks of dark brown; the upper surface is brown, all the feathers being margined with reddish-white.

In North America, a bird very similar to the Goshawk takes its place; and a third species of the same group is found in Madagascar only. It is, however, principally in the Malayan Archipelago that the greatest number of species occur, nearly every island possessing a Goshawk peculiar to itself.

THE SPARROW-HAWKS (_Accipiter_).

These may almost be called miniature Goshawks, as they are not only short-winged birds like the latter, but they even have the same style of plumage, consisting generally of a dark-grey back, a barred under surface, and a piercing yellow eye. They may, however, be distinguished from the Goshawks by their small, weak bill, and long, slender, middle toe. With the exception of some of the Oceanic Islands, Sparrow-Hawks are found all over the world, being plentiful even in South America, where the rarity of the Goshawks has already been alluded to.

THE COMMON SPARROW-HAWK (_Accipiter nisus_).

This is an active and plucky little bird, which still holds its own in England, notwithstanding the raids made upon its nest, and the destruction of old birds by keepers. Nor can it be denied that the Sparrow-Hawk, hatching its young about the time when the young chickens and Pheasants are also being reared, will occasionally make a swoop on the pheasantry, and carry off the chicks to feed its own offspring. The principal food of this Hawk is small birds, in the pursuit of which it is so eager that it has several times been known to dash through a glass window, and be caught in the room; while Messrs. Salvin and Brodrick, in their work on British Falconry, state that they have “known a trained Sparrow-Hawk force itself to such an extent into a blackthorn bush, where it had killed a bird, as to require to be cut out.” Like the Goshawk, it is often trained for hawking, but is a much more delicate bird to rear, and requires careful management when young. Nevertheless, a well-trained Sparrow-Hawk will account for a considerable number of birds; and in the work of the above-mentioned authors is given an instance of one Hawk having killed 327 head in less than two months, consisting of Sparrows, Blackbirds, Thrushes, a few Partridges, and Linnets, more than two-thirds of the number being Sparrows.

In size the female Sparrow-Hawk is considerably larger than the male, measuring nearly sixteen inches in length, and nine inches and a half in the wing. She is generally paler grey, never so blue as in the male, nor is she so red underneath. A sign of age, by which a mature hen Sparrow-Hawk may be known, is the presence of a tuft of rufous plumes on the flanks, which is feebly developed in the young bird, but is a conspicuous feature in the adult.

The male is bluish slate-colour above, the quills browner and barred across with darker brown, these bars being very distinct below; the tail is barred with blackish-brown, and tipped with white; cheeks and ear-coverts are rufous; under surface of body whitish, with narrow bars of bright rufous, the under tail-coverts white, as are also the under wing-coverts and axillaries, these two latter parts being spotted with brown. Young birds are brown with rufous edges to the feathers; underneath they are rufous, barred with brown on the flanks and breast, the throat and fore-neck streaked with the same colour. The bars on the tail are five in number in a young male, but as the bird increases in age the number of bars decreases, and is generally only four in a very old bird: the same takes place in the female. The range of the Common Sparrow-Hawk is very similar to that of the Goshawk, being extended all over Europe and Northern Asia, and into Northern China and North-western India. Neither of the birds go to South Africa, and range into the north-eastern portion of that continent only in winter.

THE THIRD SUB-FAMILY.--THE BUZZARDS (_Buteoninæ_).

These Hawks constitute a numerous assemblage of the birds of prey, and lead on from the long-legged Hawks of the previous sub-family to the Eagles, ending with the Great Harpy, which is, perhaps, the most powerful bird of prey in the world. All the Buzzards have the tibia much longer than the tarsus, but they may be distinguished from all the Eagles, Kites, and Falcons by having the back of the tarsus “plated,” and not “reticulated.” In the accompanying woodcuts is shown the hinder aspect of a Buzzard’s tarsus (figure on p. 274), by which it will be seen that the scales are arranged in plates, very differently from that which takes place in the tarsus of an Eagle (figure on p. 274), where the scales are reticulated.[178]

The Buzzards are more numerous in the northern parts of the world than in the tropics, and a large decrease in the number of species takes place in Central and Southern America, whilst in Oceania and Australia they are altogether absent. As a rule, they are birds of plain plumage and sluggish habits, possessing neither the courage of the Eagles, nor the dash and adroitness of the Falcons, in capturing their prey. Africa produces some species which, as regards plumage, are an exception to the general rule, the Augur and Jackal Buzzards (_Buteo augur_ and _Buteo jackal_) being rather handsome birds, their plumage being a mixture of black and chestnut.

THE COMMON BUZZARD (_Buteo[179] vulgaris_).

This is a strictly European bird, although it has been stated to occur in Central Asia, and to sometimes wander into North-eastern Africa. Like all other birds of prey, it is rather rare in Great Britain, but it still breeds in certain localities, although the great majority of specimens which are killed in Britain are found in the fall of the year. The power of the Common Buzzards to attack large game is very limited, and Mr. Robert Gray[180] observes:--“To many persons it will seem unwise, I dare say, to call this Buzzard a useful bird in game preserves, yet I cannot but think that if the experiment were made of allowing it to fulfil the ends for which Nature designed it, our native game birds would benefit by the trial. So far as my own observations have extended, the Common Buzzard is just the kind of instrument wanted to clear off sickly young birds, which, on arriving at maturity, yield an offspring of a degenerate breed. Of somewhat sluggish habits, it does not care to interfere with strong-winged birds, being content with those that, through wounds or a naturally feeble constitution, are unable to save themselves. In this way only strong birds are left, and a healthy breed ensues. Let any of our proprietors of moors, who are jealous of the daring prowess of Eagles and lordly Peregrines, act upon this hint, and I will venture to say we should have fewer instances of disease amongst game birds to chronicle.”

Although the Buzzard does not quarter the ground like a Harrier, and search for its prey on the wing, it may not unfrequently be seen circling in the air at a considerable height, generally over the place which contains its nest, but as a rule it perches on some stone or similar resting-place, whence it watches for its prey. When flying it utters a clear loud cry, which has been described as “mewing.” Its principal food consists of Field Mice, but it also devours Moles, young birds, the caterpillars of Hawk Moths (_Sphingidæ_), Grasshoppers, and it will also occasionally feed on carrion, or on dead fish cast up on the sea-shore. When migrating in the autumn, which it does in considerable numbers together, a good many are caught for the purposes of food, and the manner of catching them is thus described by Nilsson in his work on the birds of Sweden:--“In October, when they pass through Skåne on their passage to the south, they remain for some time on the outermost point of land to await a suitable westerly wind to cross. Large numbers collect and roost at night in the trees (especially in the willows) which grow there. When the darkness sets in, two men go in company to catch them, one with a sack, and the other with a stout cudgel. The latter climbs quietly up into the tree, where he can just distinguish the bird, whilst the other remains below; and so soon as the climber has got up to where he can reach a bird, he catches it by the legs with the left hand, and either twists its neck with his right hand, or stuns it with a blow of the cudgel, and throws it down to his companion on the ground, who crams it into the sack. In this manner two men can catch thirty or forty in the evening, or, according to Burgomaster C., as many even as seventy or eighty; and Captain E. relates that twenty were obtained one evening from the same tree. They are easiest to catch when it is dark and blowing hard, so that the bird cannot easily hear the noise. In all, many hundreds are caught annually, some of which are cooked fresh or made into soup, but most are salted down and kept for use during the winter.”

The nest of the Buzzard is generally placed on some non-evergreen tree at various heights from the ground, but in Scotland it builds on rocks. The usual number of eggs is three or four, and these are a bluish-white, with reddish blotches. They vary a good deal in colour, some being rather richly marked, while others are almost colourless. The time of breeding is generally the month of April, or in severe seasons, early in May. A Crow’s nest is occasionally taken possession of. When the bird makes its own nest, this is formed of large branches with a lining of grass, occasionally of a few feathers. No bird varies more than the Buzzard in plumage, and many beautiful variations in its dress take place before the adult plumage is gained. The old bird is almost entirely brown above and below, the breast and abdomen generally having a more or less barred appearance; the quills are brown, banded with darker brown, and shaded with grey on their outer aspect; the tail is ashy-brown, more or less inclining to rufous, and having twelve or thirteen bars of darker brown. Young birds have a great deal of white about their plumage, some of them being nearly cream-coloured. The size of the adults is about twenty-two inches, and the sexes vary a little in dimensions, the wing of the female being perhaps one inch longer than that of the male.

The great utility of the Buzzard in destroying Mice ought to render it an object of protection and encouragement, for the number of small Mammals destroyed by these birds is immense. Brehm calculates that when they have young they will destroy at least one hundred Mice a day, and mentions that thirty Field Mice have been taken from the crop of a single bird.

THE HARPY (_Thrasatus[181] harpyia_[182]).

Although from its size and courage this bird is generally called the _Harpy Eagle_, it is evident from its structure that it is a Buzzard, as it possesses the “plated” tarsi of the latter group of birds. It is an inhabitant of the New World, from Mexico through Central America to Brazil and Bolivia. It is a very destructive bird, causing great damage to the flocks, and even destroying calves, whence it is an object of detestation to the stock-keepers in Mexico. It also feeds on deer and on the large Macaws which are found in the forest it frequents. It stands more than three feet and a half high, and has a large crest, which, together with its powerful talons and glittering eye, gives the bird an imposing aspect even in captivity. In the adult bird the coloration is ashy-grey, inclining in very old examples to silvery grey relieved by the dark ash-coloured wings and tail.