The Bird Killers and Their Victims

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The Bird Killers and Their Victims Birds of Prey in the Rocky Mountains— A Study for Scout Leaders and Boy Scouts

ARRANGED BY J. H. PAUL, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

The government is likely to call upon scout leaders and boy scouts to help save the vanishing" game birds and the useful hawks and owls. Boys can help in this work as soon as they know the birds. They can learn the species by using colored pictures and text books. Jt is easy to remember that all the owls should be spared and that some of them are almost indispensable to success- ful farming. Most of the hawks should be protected there are ;

only two common hawks that should be destroyed. Shore and swimming birds are dwindling in number, and various kinds may soon disappear entirely. Several game species have already done so. It is proposed to rally to the aid of all birds now living, the youth of America. Shore birds do no harm, and are most enter- taining and unique. Large, showy, artistic in motion, we should not permit them to be further decimated. Among song birds, only one, the English or house sparrow, should be reduced in number. It is proposed here to name and briefly describe the chief Western bir^s that hunt and those that are hunted, to indicate their food, habits and degree of usefulness, to set questions on books that describe, and name colored pictures that illustrate, our most important species. The student, or each group, will re- quire, for the most successful work, the colored pictures named, five or more at once, from National Audubon Societies, (A) 1974 Broadway, New York, to be purchased at two cents each, or $1.80 per 100 from A. W. Mumford, (M) Publisher, 536 Clark street, Chicago; Out of Doors in the West, teachers' edition, $1.30, or pupils' edition, 80 cents, Deseret News Book Store, Salt Lake City; Fifty Common Birds, (Bulletin 513), 15 cents, LT S. De-.

partment of Agriculture, Supt. of Documents, Washington, D. C. and The Domestic Cat, published free by the State Board of Ag- riculture, Boston, Mass. Reed Western Bird Guide, $1, is a handy manual for field work. Fairly good field glasses may be had for $5. After the war, scout organizations may be able, with the aid of the Forest Service, to get the best of glasses for bird study for about $10. If only a part of the pictures are purchased for the first sea-

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son's work, the following- thirty are the best: Mumford series, numbers 584, 564, 482, 133, 80, 151, 169, 75, 361, 506. 321, 395, 28. Also of the Audubon series numbers 1, 2, 10. 11, 12, 23, 36 37, 51. 52, 54, 58, 63, 76, 77, 78, 84.

I. THE BIRD HAWKS

First of all, it is important that boy scouts should know the bird hawks, which .are the only species that are to be killed. Fortunately these are few in species, but un fortunately they are large in number of individuals, since nearly always it is the ben- eficial hawks that are killed by gunners. The two common chicken hawks are not of the largest size, and have short wings, long tail, and fly with short wing-strokes. The two worst chicken hawks never soar and sail, as all the beneficial species do. The sharp-shinned hawk is not much larger than a robin, and is very common in the mountains. It may be known by its white, dark-streaked breast, short wings, and long, dark-banded tail. It preys almost entirely on other birds and domestic and game fowl its nest is in trees or on cliffs. It is illustrated by the ;

Audubon picture 37 (A, 37). It is likely to be confused with the sparrow hawk, the pigeon hawk, and the merlins, none of which should be destroyed. The sparrow hawk, in particular, is espe- cially beneficial. The Cooper hawk is still more destructive, and is of large size — 17 inches long. Like the sharp-shinned, it has a long, dark- banded tail, short wings, white, dark-streaked breast, and a dart- jrg- flight, not soaring and sailing around the skies in the open.

Cooper's hawk is illustrated in Bulletin 513. It is worst among the hawks, feeding on song birds and fowl of all kinds. Out of 133 stomachs examined by Fisher. 34 contained poultry and game, and 52 contained other birds, while the remains of mammals were found in only 11 stomachs. This hawk should be killed on sight, but the gunner should first learn to know it at sight. Both these destructive hawks have a somewhat slaty blue color above and a faintly wdiite-tipped tail.

Two other Western hawks are very destructive to bird life; but are not likely to be often encountered. The goshawk M. (

628. is 21 inches'in length, and dark slaty blue above, black about the head, the under parts very finely mottled and streaked with white and slaty gray, the short tail white-tipped, the feet yellow. It is a winter visitor and lives mostly in the woods, so that it is rarely seen. Bloodv and ferocious, it kills more birds than it needs. The duck hawk is the one species with very long wings ( 13.7 inches), that is destructive to bird life. It is 18 inches long, some- what slatv blue above, tail barred and white tipped, but pale tawny

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632 IMPROVEMENT ERA rufous below, like several of the good hawks. It preys on other birds, especially ducks,and little can be said in its favor.

II. THE USEFUL HAWKS AND EAGLES

of equal importance to know the harmful and the useful It is hawks. All hawks except the four above noted are more or less useful. In the following list, the degree of usefulness is indicate 1

— by stars four stars signifying the highest, and one star the least, degree of usefulness. Beneficial hawks have very long wings, soar and sail a great deal while looking for gophers and other small mammals, and most of them have a good deal of reddish brown color. More complete descriptions are given in the Out of Doors and in Bulletin 513, while the plates named afford fairly good means of identifying them. The distance of the winter mi- gration is thus indicated, R. a resident, staying hereabouts through the winter; SI., a slight migration, going no farther south than northern Mexico in winter; I, having an incomplete migratory flight southward — as far as southern Mexico and the larger West Indies; C, a complete migration, to Central America or to north- ern South America in winter; Ex., an extra-tropical migration, crossing the equator to Brazil, Argentina, Patagonia, and even to Antarctica, as in the case of the Arctic tern N, a migration north- ;

ward in our summer, mostly to within or near to the Arctic circle ;

V. a vertical migration, engaged in by some of our song-birds, which go merely to the high mountains in summer. (See Cooke —-Bird Migration, Bulletin 185, price 10 cents, Supt. of Docu- ments, Washington, D. C.)

don't kill these hawks

Rough-legged hawk, very large (24.5 inches), soaring and sailing peaceful and unoffending, it preys chiefly on mice its ; ;

enemv is man, who mistakes it for a chicken-hawk. *** R ;

(M. 385, 548). Swainson hawk, 18 inches, eats mice, gophers, grasshoppers :

nest placed in cottonwood trees gunners are this useful and gen- ;

tle bird's enemies. ***** ; slight migration. Western Red-tailed Hawk, 22.5 inches, feeds on mice and other mammals, snakes, and grasshoppers nests in tall trees men ;' ;

are its main enemies. *** SI.; (M. 564). ;

Marsh hawk, 18 inches, food mostly meadow mice, ground sruirrels, and insects, but also, at times, some birds or even chickens the nest is always on the ground ; the enemies are ;

coyotes, rats, cats, and mistaken men. ****; SI.; (A. 8). Sparrow hawk, 10.5 inches, feeds mainly on grasshoppers and field mice, also on small birds ; nests in old holes of flickers or

THE BIRD KILLERS AND THEIR VICTIMS 633

among rocks its chief enemy is the man with a gun, who mis- ;

takes it for a chicken hawk. *** SI. (A. 10). ; ;

Prairie Falcon, 17 inches, feeds mainly on jackrabbits, prairie dogs, and other mammals, but takes also doves, blackbirds, and other birds of moderate size its nest is in cliffs, and the chief ;

enemy is man. ** R. ;

Bald Eagle, 32 inches, feeding on fish, waterfowl, small mam- mals the bird emblem of our country, almost certainly doomed ;

to extinction by gunners and by being caught in traps set for coyotes. Nest in trees or on ledges. * R. (A. 82; Golden Eagle ; ;

32 inches; M. 618; Osprey, M. 71) all R. ;

Which hawks are friendly? In what respects? (Out of Doors, 262-4; 180.) How distinguish beneficial from injurious hawks? (O. D., 176-180). Which are the best, which the worst hawks? Why? (O. D., 262; 176.)

SOME COMMON OWLS

Burrowing Owl, 9-11 inches; nest usually a hole in the ground; enemies are rats, snakes, men, squirrels. *** SI.; (M. ;

482). Western Horned Owl, 18 to 25 inches, slight if any value, since it takes birds as well as rodents; nest in old hawk's nest,

etc.; enemies, men, squirrels. R. (M. 369). ;

Rocky Mountain Screech Owl, 7.5 to 10 inches takes some ;

birds nests in tree cavities destroyed by wild cats, snakes, bears, ; ;

men. ** R. (A. 11). ; ;

Short-eared Owl, 13 to 16 inches a great mouser nest on ; ;

ground, made of sticks, grass, feathers; enemies, rats, cats, men. ***; SI.; (A. 12). Long-eared Owl, 13.8 to 16.75 inches; lives almost entirely on field mice, etc. rears brood in magpie's or crow's nest its en- ; ;

emies are wild cats, bears, and men. *** SI. ;

Saw-whet Owl, 7.5 inches; feeds on mice, etc., being noc- turnal in habit nests in holes of trees enemies, wild cats, bears, ; ;

men. *** R. (M. 133). Richardson's Owl is similar but ; ;

larger (11 inches) and only a winter visitor. N. Pygmy Owl (6 75 inches), ** takes some birds; nests in pine forests. SI. ;

Snowv Owl, 23 to 27 inches, (M. 57), is a winter visitor. N. What is the simple truth as to the value of owls to the West? (O. D., 174-176.) Which owls are of the greatest value? Which least? Which neutral? (O. D., 264-5.) (concluded in next number)