Identifier: ourwinterbirdsho00chap (find matches)
Title: Our winter birds, how to know and how to attract them
Year: 1918 (1910s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945
Subjects: Birds -- United States
Publisher: New York, London, D. Appleton and Company
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ld and young may with equal truth becalled darters. With a speed which gives them alsothe name Bullet Hawk, they shoot through theair and plunge upon their prey. This is the trueChicken Hawk. One visit to the poultry yardis very apt to be followed by another, and just asa man-eating tiger acquires a taste for human blood,so does a liking for the tender flesh of pullets doubt-less grow upon the Blue Darter. I suppose It is proper that he should pay the pen-alty for his raids upon the hen-yard; but how is amere Hawk to know that the chickens were notplaced there especially for him ? We spread a lunch-counter with nuts, seeds and suet for the Finches,Woodpeckers and Chickadee and make them wel-come guests. Why, therefore, should the Darter not 142 OUR WINTER BIRDS believe that he was Invited to partake of a feastwhich had been prepared for him? Contrary to the rule among birds, the femalehawk is larger than the male. This sexual differ-ence in size is well marked in the Darter and Sharp-
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Sharp-shinned Hawk Pursuing a Redpoll shin, as our figures ( Nos. 9-12) of them clearlyindicate. The Sharp-shin is the smaller of the two,but a female of this species Is nearly as large as amale Darter. While it is therefore always possibleto identify a male Sharp-shin and a female Darter,the male Darter and female Sharp-shin cannot cer-tainly be distinguished in life. Indeed, it sometimespuzzles an expert to name specimens of them, whenin the streaked. Immature plumage. FOREST BIRDS 143 Both species, however, without regard to sex, may-be told from the Red-tail and Red-shoulder by theirsmaller, more slender bodies, shorter wings andlonger tails. Note how in the other Hawks thefolded wings reach nearly to the tip of the tail,while in the Darter and Sharp-shin they do not ex-tend more than half of its length. Neither cry of pursuit nor scream of victory isuttered by these winged huntsmen. Perhaps, indeed,we might better call them marketmen, for they huntto supply themselves and their f

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