Family Falconidae
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC.
The three hundred and fifty species included in this family are distributed throughout the world. One tenth of the number are found in North America. During the migratory seasons they may sometimes be seen traveling in scattered flocks, which may take hours to pass a given point. At other times of the year, with few exceptions, they are solitary birds, having no intercourse with their kind. During the breeding season many species have definitely bounded haunts, upon which intrusion by individuals of the same species is not permitted. With much regularity they return to the same locality and even the same nest year after year, and some species are known to mate for life. Their days are an unceasing vigil. At all times they are on the alert for food. This consists to a large extent of small mammals and insects, birds and poultry forming a comparatively insignificant part of the diet of most species. Hawks are thus of great value to the agriculturist as the natural check upon the increase of the myriads of small rodents so destructive to crops.
The cries of Hawks are generally loud, startling, and characteristic of their fierce natures. They strike their prey with their feet, and use the bill to tear it into fragments.
Hawks' nests are generally bulky affairs, composed of coarse twigs and sticks. The presence of downy feathers gives evidence that they are or have been recently occupied.
I. Wing over 19.00.
KEY TO THE SPECIES.
A. Upper half of tarsus feathered. a. Whole head and neck white b. Head and neck brown or brownish. 61. Bill mostly yellow (Greenland) b2. Bill black or blackish B. Whole tarsus feathered II. Wing under 19.00. 352. BALD EAGLE (Ad.). 351. GRAY SEA EAGLE (Ad.). 352. BALD EAGLE (Im.). 349. GOLDEN EAGLE. 1. Feathers of under parts more or less streaked and spotted, without cross-bars.
A. Outer primary with numerous black or blackish bars. a. Wing under 10.00. a¹. Back bright rufous, with or without black bars. 360. AM. SPARROW HAWK. a2. Back bluish slate-color. 357. PIGEON HAWK (Ad.). a3. Back fuscous, second primary longest. 357. PIGEON HAWK (Im.). a4. Back fuscous, fourth primary longest, tail-feathers of nearly equal length; wing under 9.00. 332. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. a5. Back fuscous, fourth 'primary longest, outer tail-feathers half an inch or more shorter than the middle ones; wing over 9.00. b. Wing over 10.00. 333. COOPER'S HAWK. b. Second primary longest, tail generally over 9.00. 62. "Lower tail-coverts immaculate white." 353. WHITE GYRFALCON. 63. "Lower tail-coverts always more or less marked with dusky." 354. GRAY GYRFALCON and Races. c¹. Second primary longest, tail under 9.00. ca. Tarsus shorter than middle toe without nail, upper parts blackish. 356. DUCK HAWK. c³. Tarsus longer than middle toe without nail, upper parts brownish d¹. Third or fourth primary longest. d2. Upper tail-coverts white d³. Upper tail-coverts brownish a few imperfect bars. 355. PRAIRIE FALCON. 331. MARSH HAWK. 334. Aм. GOSHAWK (Im.).
B. Outer primary generally one color, base sometimes whitish or with a. Tarsus entirely bare, scales on its front large, rounded. b. Tarsus entirely feathered 362. AUDUBON'S CARACARA. 348. FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEG. 364. AM. OSPREY. c. Tarsus partly feathered, scales on its front small, rounded. d. Tarsus partly feathered, scales on its front transverse, more or less square. d¹. Three outer primaries emarginate or "notched." * d2. Wing under 12.00 ds. Wing over 12.00. 343. BROAD-WINGED HAWK (Im.). 342. SWAINSON'S HAWK (Im.). 331. MARSH HAWK. e1. Four outer primaries emarginate or "notched." + e2. Upper tail-coverts pure white es. Upper tail-coverts not pure white; wing under 13.50; lesser wing-coverts conspicuously margined with rufous. 339. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (Im.). e4. Upper tail-coverts not pure white; wing over 13.50; lesser wingcoverts not conspicuously margined with rufous. 337. RED-TAILED HAWK AND RACES. 2. Feathers of under parts with more or less numerous cross-bars.
A. Scales on front of the tarsus numerous, rounded. a. Wing under 15.00. b. Wing over 15.00 356. DUCK HAWK. 362. AUDUBON'S CARACARA.
B. Scales on front of the tarsus sharply defined, transverse, more or less square. a. Four or five outer primaries emarginate or "notched." + a1. Tail white at the base and tipped with whitish. * See Fig. 70. 330. EVERGLADE KITE. † See Fig. 69.
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 02. Tail rufous, with sometimes a black band near the end. 337. RED-TAILED HAWK (Ad.) and Races. a³. Tail black or blackish, with four to six white or grayish crossbars 339. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (Ad.). 339a. FLORIDA RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (Ad.). a4. Tail 10.00 long, gray, with several indistinct blackish bands. 334. Aм. GOSHAWK. b. Three outer primaries emarginate or "notched." * 61. Tail with two or three broad whitish bars. 343. BROAD-WINGED HAWK (Ad.). 62. Tail with numerous narrow, indistinct blackish bars. 342. SWAINSON'S HAWK (Ad.).
C. Front of the tarsus smooth, or with the scales not sharply defined; outer primary barred. a. Wing under 9.00, tail-feathers of nearly equal length. 332. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (Ad.). b. Wing over 9.00, outer tail-feathers half an inch shorter than the middle ones; upper tail-coverts not white. 333. COOPER'S HAWK (Ad.). c. Wing over 9.00; upper tail-coverts white 331. MARSH HAWK (Ad.). D. Tarsus entirely feathered. a. Legs rich rufous, heavily barred 348. FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEG. b. Legs ochraceous-buff, more or less barred. 347a. Aм. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 3. Under parts without streaks or bars.
A. Under parts white. a. Scales on front of tarsus transverse, more or less square. 334. SHORT-TAILED HAWK. b. Scales on front of tarsus numerous, rounded. 61. Tail barred. 62. Upper parts not barred 63. Upper parts barred. • • c1. Tail not barred. ca. Tail square, white c. Tail forked, bluish black 364. AM. OSPREY, 353. WHITE GYRFALCON. 328. WHITE-TAILED KITE. 327. SWALLOW-TAILED KITE.
B. Under parts dark brown, slate, gray, or black. a. Tarsus entirely feathered 347a. Aм. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. b. Tarsus partly feathered, scales transverse, more or less square. 61. Wing over 13.00. 62. Upper tail-coverts, base and tip of the tail white; two outer primaries slightly "notched" 63. Three outer primaries "notched"* 64. Four outer primaries "notched" c¹. Wing under 13.00. . 330. EVERGLADE KITE. 342. SWAINSON'S HAWK. 338. HARLAN'S HAWK. ca. Primaries more or less distinctly barred; general plumage sooty black 344. SHORT-TAILED HAWK. c³. Primaries not barred; general plumage slaty blue. 329. MISSISSIPPI KITE. * See Fig. 70.
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 327. Elanoides forficatus (Linn.). SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. Ad. -Head, neck, linings of the wings, rump, part of tertials, and under parts white; rest of the plumage glossy bluish black; tail deeply forked, the outer feathers about 8.00 longer than the middle ones. L., 24:00; W., 16.50; T., 13.50; B. from N., 80.