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Range (Eastern North America breeding) (VII)

Eastern North America, breeding throughout most of its range. Washington, common W. V., rare S. R. Sing Sing, common P. R.; less common in winter. Cambridge, common W. V., Nov. to Apl.; a few S. R. Nest, in trees, thirty to seventy feet from the ground. Eggs, two to four, dull white, generally scantily and irregularly marked with shades of cinnamon-brown, 2.40 × 1.85. The Red-tailed Hawk resembles its near relative, the Red-shouldered Hawk, in the selection of its haunts, and, to a large extent, in habits. It is to be distinguished in life from that species by its larger size, which, even in the field, is noticeable, and by its call. The usual FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. note of the Red-tail is a long-drawn "squealing" whistle, which to my ear suggests the sound produced by escaping steam. "Of 562 stomachs examined, 54 contained poultry or game birds; 51, other birds; 278, mice; 131, other mammals; 37, batrachians or reptiles; 47, insects; 8, crawfish; 1, centiped; 13, offal; and 89 were empty" (Fisher). 337a. B. b. kriderii Hoopes. KRIDER'S HAWK.-Similar to Buteo borealis, but with much more white in the plumage; the head sometimes almost entirely white; the under parts only lightly streaked, and with the band on the belly sometimes obsolete; the tail in the ad. pale rufous, generally without a terminal black band; in the im., pale rufous, or white washed with rufous, and with numerous blackish bars. & W., 15.00; T., 9.50. Range." Great plains of the United States, from Minnesota to Texas; east irregularly or casually to Iowa and northern Illinois" (Bendire). 337d. B. b. harlani (Aud.). HARLAN'S HAWK. Ad.-Upper parts dark sooty fuscous, the bases of the feathers more or less barred with grayish; tail closely mottled with black, fuscous, rufous, and whitish; under parts varying from white more or less spotted across the belly to sooty fuscous. Im.-Similar, but the tail barred with blackish, grayish, rufous, or whitish, tipped with white. & L., about 19.00; W., 15.50; T., 8.25. 9 L., about 21.00; W., 17:00; T., 9-25.

Range." Gulf States and lower Mississippi Valley; north (casually) to Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania; east to Georgia and Florida" (Bendire). Dr. William L. Ralph, in Captain Bendire's Life Histories of North American Birds (p. 218), reports this species as not uncommon during the winter in St. John's and Putnam Counties, Florida. He writes: "They are exactly like the Red-tailed Hawks except in color, and their call-note is the same, only being longer drawn out. The call of the latter bird, as already stated, sounds like the squealing of a pig, or 'kee-ee-e,' and that of Harlan's Hawk like 'kee-ee-ee-e-e-ee." The WESTERN REDTAIL (3376. B. b. calurus) has been recorded from Illinois, and one specimen of the EUROPEAN BUZZARD (336. Buteo buteo) is said to have been taken in Michigan. 339. Buteo lineatus (Gmel.). RED-SHOULDERED HAWK; HEN HAWK;