Page:Field key to the land birds .. (IA fieldkeytolandbi00knob).pdf/38

8 FIELD KEY TU THE LAND BIRDS.

8

Passenger It resembles the pinkish gray. Pigeon, but is smaller and has a few black spots below It is usually found single or in pairs, in the ear.

parts

fields

or

hj the roadside.

summer

^V

BIRDS OF PREY.

bird.

— Raptores.

— Short, strongly curved, sharp pointed. EET. — Strong, with long, curved, stout,

Bill.

Food.

—

pointed nails or talons (vultures excepted). Living animals, as birds, mice, frogs, snakes, insects.

Rarely carrion.

HAWKS.

RED-TAILED HEN-HAWK.

Buteo Grayish brown above underparts white, with streaks on breast and sides Males tail bright rust red, with few narrow bars. and females are alike, but the young are more thickly streaked on the underparts, and have a gray tail with many narrow black bars. This is our strongest hawk, 7.

borealis.

— Length, 20 inches.



It is his habit to is common in wooded districts. an isolated tree, waitof limb dead a on hours for sit ing for something to turn up. At other times he hunts circling high in the air, calling to his mate, who The callHies low over the bushes to start the game. note sounds somewhat like chee-ee-ee-ee. The prey

and

hawks is anything they can manage, from and hens down to mice, snakes, and even They are most destructive to Quails, and insects. will watch a flock day after day, pouncing upon them as soon as they leave cover to go to the open fields to

of these

rabbits

feed. trict.

This

hawk

stays all the year in his chosen dis-