Identifier: commonhawksowlso236dixo (find matches)
Title: The common hawks and owls of California from the standpoint of the rancher
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Dixon, Joseph S. (Joseph Scattergood), 1884-1952
Subjects: Bird pests Agricultural pests Beneficial birds Hawks Owls
Publisher: Berkeley, Calif. : University of California, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station
Contributing Library: University of California, Davis Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: University of California, Davis Libraries

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short rounded wings, no black stripes on sideof head, and dull dark brown or slaty back. A fes^ ■ 1ml ^s9 BShp M JEPBHE* . A x mjffffT p% A WWrW Fig. 5.—Head of live red-bellied haAvk. In all the hawks except the falcons,the cutting edge of the bill is sharp but even, not toothed. To sum up the hawks: Out of the four groups which include 16of the 20 species of hawks found in California, only one group isdecidedly harmful. This group, the bird hawks, consists of threespecies, all of which may be recognized by their quiet, stealthy, sneakyhabits and, in flight, by their short round wings and long tail which Circular 236 COMMON HAWKS AND OWLS OF CALIFORNIA give them a decided aeroplane outline. The members of this groupdeserve no sympathy. The other 13 species of hawks in Californiaare, with the exception of one falcon, the duck hawk, predominantlybeneficial and should be protected. It is a lamentable custom of manyhunters to shoot every hawk that they can, thinking that by doing so
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Fig. 6.—An aggressive captive prairie falcon. Note dark stripe on side ofhead below eye, and tear drop spotting on breast. they are rendering the community a favor, whereas in nine cases outof ten it is a beneficial hawk which, being most readily seen or heard,is killed. Owls, working on the night shift, take up the work of rodent de-struction when the hawks leave off in the evening. Song and game 10 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION birds are not abroad during the hours of darkness when owls are mostactive, hence these birds usually form a very small per cent of thefood taken by owls. The common owls of this state may for con-venience be divided into two groups: those that have conspicuousear tufts or horns and those which, lacking these, appear roundheaded. The horned, long-eared, and screech owls belong to thefirst group, and the barn and ground or billy owl, to the secondgroup. T&e so-called ears or horns are only tufts of feathers whichmay be erected or depressed

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