Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE FALCON-LIKE BIRDS

THE KITES, BUZZARDS, EAGLES, HAWKS, AND ALLIES

The Marsh Hawk

 is undoubtedly one of the best known of our birds of prey, since its breeding range covers practically the entire continent.”It is a familiar sight,”says Beddire,”to see a pair, and often several, of these birds skimming close to the ground, now along the borders of a meadow, or the shrubbery found close to the banks of small streams, and the tule-covered borders of fresh or salt marshes, actively engaged in search of their prey. Its flight is singularly easy and graceful. One moment it may be seen sailing or drifting along before a strong breeze without an apparent movement of its wings, in the next it may raise or lower itself or turn completely over, in undulating motions; dropping suddenly in the grass, or staying suspended in the air over some point which might be suited to the location of its intended quarry.

”Its food consists largely of meadow mice, ground squirrels, frogs, grasshoppers, locusts, and large crickets, and to some extent of lizards, snakes, occasional ground-haunting birds, and young poultry, and when hard pressed it is said to feed on offal and carrion.

It has been known to come at the sound of a gun and carry off the wounded or dead bird, but on the whole it is deserving of the most careful protection for its agency in the destruction of mice, ground squirrels, and injurious insects. Dr. A. K. Fisher, who examined the contents of 124 stomachs, reports that 7 contained poultry or game birds; 34, other birds; 57, mice; 22, other mammals; 7, reptiles; 2, frogs; 14, insects, while 8 were empty. As might be expected in a species enjoying such a wide range, the nesting season varies in the different parts of the country, beginning as early as April in Texas, and not until June in the fur countries. The nest is always made on the ground or close to it, and usually not far from water, as a marsh or prairie grown up with tall grass or bushes, being placed

in a thick bunch of grass, on the top of a tussock, or occasionally on a low bush. It is usually a slight affair of grasses and a few sticks, and lined with similar material and sometimes a few feathers from the sitting bird. Both sexes assist in building the nest, and when it is completed the complement of eggs is added, these being from three or four to six, and sometimes as many as eight in number, dull white or pale bluish white and mostly unspotted.

previous bird species next bird species