Part 20

The Red-shoulder’s loud, clear scream, when familiar to the bird student, is diagnostic. The Blue Jay can imitate this scream almost perfectly, however, so the bird student must use care in recording the species from call-note alone. This species, while for the most part innocent in food habits, is not protected in Pennsylvania.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK Buteo platypterus platypterus (Vieillot)

Other Names.—Chicken Hawk; Pigeon Hawk (erroneous).

Description.—The Broad-wing, because of its name, is often thought to be one of our largest hawks, but in reality it is one of the smaller species, being about the size of a Crow. Adults: Gray-brown above; throat white; malar region blackish; tail crossed with three distinct and rather broad white bands; underparts warm brown, the belly and sides heavily barred with white, the under tail-coverts largely whitish; cere and feet yellowish green; eyes dark brown. Immature: Dark brown, with head and neck considerably streaked; wing-coverts edged with buffy white; underparts buffy white, heavily streaked with black; tail grayish, marked with five or six black bands. Length: Male, 16 inches; female, 17 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An uncommon and local summer resident from about April 20 to October 1. This hawk is not found in winter in Pennsylvania, for it migrates to Central America during the cold months.

Nest.—A platform of sticks, usually placed in a large crotch of a deciduous tree, and not often at great height from the ground. An old Crow nest is sometimes used. Eggs: 2 to 4, whitish, spotted and blotched, sometimes very handsomely, with rich brown.

A small hawk with wide wings, short tail, and the general appearance of a Red-tail is likely to be a Broad-wing. Look for it about deciduous woodlands. Its scream is feeble. It nests in woodlands not far from Pittsburgh.

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis (Gmelin)

Other Name.—Chicken Hawk.

Description.—Larger than a Red-tail; two distinct types of plumage, one light, one dark; feet, down to the very toes, fully feathered. Light phase of plumage: Head and neck black, boldly streaked with white; back dark brown; tail white at base, black on terminal third; breast and throat buffy, broadly streaked with black; feathers of leg buffy, spotted with blackish; belly and under tail-coverts black; wing-linings white, with black spots at wrist and black tips on all primaries and secondaries; cere and feet yellowish; eyes dark brown. Dark phase: Brownish black, spotted irregularly with white on belly, the tail marked with three or four narrow whitish bands. Length: About 22 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular winter visitor from the far North, usually seen in the more northerly counties and in fairly open country.

The great Rough-leg will perch on a hay-stack or a low stump in an open field in preference to a high stub. In searching for prey, it beats over the ground in the manner of the Marsh Hawk. It is distinctly beneficial in food habits. In any plumage the bird in the hand may be recognized by the feathered feet; in the field the distinctly black underparts are diagnostic. Unfortunately, this species is not protected at the present time in Pennsylvania.

GOLDEN EAGLE Aquila chrysaëtos chrysaëtos (Linnæus)

Description.—Size very large; wing-spread from 6 to 8 feet; female noticeably the larger. Adults: Plumage rich deep brown, save on crown, nape, and hind neck where the pointed feathers are golden brown, and on the basal half of the tail, which is barred with whitish or gray; cere and toes yellow; bill blue-black; eyes dark brown; tarsus, which is fully feathered down to the toes, white or pale buffy. Immature: Similar, but the basal half or two-thirds of the tail is white and the under tail-coverts are margined with buffy. Length: About 3 feet.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A winter visitant, usually rare, though sometimes recorded several times during a single season. It is most often to be seen in the mountainous counties.

The Golden Eagle is occasionally caught in steel traps which have been set for foxes or other fur-bearers. Each winter one or two of these great birds are thus made captive or shot by farmers who are protecting their poultry.

It is a magnificent creature, with its regal bearing, its deep set, brilliant eyes, and its sleek, lustrous plumage. In captivity it is not given to beating itself about, but bears itself with simple dignity, as though it understood the futility of trying to make an escape.

In the field, it is to be distinguished with difficulty from the immature Bald Eagle, the latter bird having white areas on the under wing which the Golden Eagle lacks. Close at hand, it will be noted that both birds have long feathers on the tibial region, the tips of these feathers sometimes reaching well toward the toes, but in the Golden Eagle the whole foot, down to the toes, is covered with short, thick plumage.

The Golden Eagle has been known to kill foxes and lambs. There is an authentic record of the killing of a sturdy, though small, fawn by one of these great birds. Pursuing the fawn through the woods, it frightened it over a sharp declivity, and its leg was broken in the fall. The Eagle’s long, vise-like talons and great bill finished the unfortunate creature.

BALD EAGLE Haliæëtus leucocephalus leucocephalus (Linnæus)

Other Names.—American Eagle; White-headed Eagle.

Description.—Size very large, a wing-spread of over 6 feet. Fully adult birds: Brownish black with head and neck, tail, and upper and under tail-coverts, white; bill clear bright yellow; feet dull yellow; eyes bright pale yellow. Young birds in their first plumage: Almost black, with irregular mottling of white on underparts; bill and cere dusky; eyes dark brown. In somewhat older young the plumage is much mottled with white, buffy, and grayish on the upperparts as well as below, and the under wings are blotched with white. As the bird grows older the light areas become more extensive. In the fourth year the head and tail become pure white and the mottling of the rest of the plumage does not reappear. Immature Bald Eagles sometimes have the general appearance of a Golden Eagle, but the feathers of the feet never extend down to the toes, as they do in the Golden Eagle. Length: A little under 3 feet.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Rare and irregular migrant and summer resident (occasionally noted in winter), save at Erie, where it is fairly common. Here it searches for fish and refuse along the shore and nests in the vicinity. In October and November, Bald Eagles from the North Country migrate through Pennsylvania, following some of the ridges of the eastern counties. They are sometimes noted along the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers, where formerly, and perhaps in limited numbers today, they nest on the larger wooded islands.

Nest.—A huge mass of sticks and débris, sometimes a wagon-load or more, built into the principal crotch or top of a sycamore or other large tree, often at great height from the ground. Eggs: 2 or 3, chalky white.

The Bald Eagle is usually seen along waterways or in the mountains. It ranges widely and flies with great majesty, its wide, heavy wings giving it, even at great distance, the appearance of weight and strength.

It is fond of carrion and pursues the smaller Osprey or Fish Hawk until that bird is forced to give up the prey which it has captured. Bald Eagles rarely take poultry. They sometimes pursue water-fowl, but in Pennsylvania do not destroy much game or valuable wild-life and are therefore protected.

The cry of the Bald Eagle is a barking squeal, sometimes very high and thin, often scarcely to be heard.

A dark-colored Eagle with white patches showing on the under-wing is likely to be an immature Bald Eagle. The Golden Eagle almost always appears dark from below, save for the basal half of the tail, which is grayish or white.