The Marsh Hawk
Chairman National Committee of Audubon Societies
DESCRIPTION
Adult Male,—General appearance above bluish gray, darker on hindneck and lower back. Terminal half of long wing feathers almost black. Tail bluish, with seven or eight blackish bands; all except two central feathers with much white. Under parts, light brown dashes, lines and heart-shaped spots.
Adult Female,—General appearance above dark brown, some feathers with large whitish or light cinnamon-brown spots; tail brownish; broadly barred with blackish and very pale cinnamon. Under parts of body whitish, profusely marked with very large shaft streaks of pale hair-brown on breast and cinnamon-brown on lower belly and thighs. Under parts of wings and tail very broadly with whitish.
Immature,—Somewhat similar to female by with darker above and under parts almost entirely rich rufous, streaked with black on upper breast and flanks. Bars in tail cinnamon instead of whitish.
Size,—Male, from end of bill to tip of tail about 19 to 20 inches; female is much larger, 22 to 24 inches. Both sexes have black bills and claws and yellowish or flesh-colored legs and feet.
Distinguishing Marks,—The owl-like disk of short feathers about face; the very long tail; the very conspicuous patch of white feathers at base of tail, which show distinctly when flying; the slow, deliberate manner of flight, which is usually close to the ground.
Nest,—Always placed on ground in marsh, meadow or prairie, in high grass, rushes, or at foot of bush. It is made of dry grasses, reinforced by small sticks, and is lined with a few feathers.
Eggs,—Usually from four to six in number, of a pale greenish or bluish white color, usually unmarked, although some are blotched or spotted with pale buff or brownish.
Dribution,—The Marsh Hawk inhabits all of North America, breeding from the south Atlantic States as far north as Alaska and the Hudson Bay region. It winters from about 40 degrees north latitude as far south as Panama.
Note,—The descritpion of the adult female given above is from a more than usually interesting specimen. It bears three labels, on of them being in the handwriting of John James Audubon, as follows: “Female, Jun 23/43 Fort Union.” The second label, reads, “Coll. of G. N. Lawrence. Circus hudsonicus, ♀, b. 38”; on the reverse of this label in the handwriting of Mr. Lawrence, is “Presented by V. G. Audubon from the collection of J. J. Audubon, ♀ Missouri.” The third label is that of the American Museum of Natural History. Although this specimen was prepared over sixty years ago, it is in a fine state of preservation.
This Hawk is commonly known by three popular names, each of which relates to a special characteristic of the bird. Marsh Hawk, because it is found about marshes, meadows or prairies; Mouse Hawk, from its fondness for these small but destructive vermin, and Harrier, from its habit of continually hunting or ravaging the homes of small mammals. It is one of the most useful and valuable of all the Hawks, and the agriculturist should under no circumstances every permit one to be killed on his premises. No person can fail to recognize the Marsh Hawk on sight, from its very peculiar slow wing-beats, its proximity to the ground either in marsh or
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