Show adai 4 P 1 I 1 HABITS OF RED TAILED HAWK entitled to protection because of insistent warfare on various rodents in orchards the red tailed hawk hanik or lien hawk as it is commonly called Is 19 one of the best known of all our birds of prey and Is n widely distributed species of great reat economic importance its habit of sitting silting on some prominent limb or pole in the open or flying with measured wing beat over prairies an and d sparsely wooded areas on the lookout red tailed hawk for its favorite prey causes it to be noticed by the most indifferent observer although not as omnivorous as the red shouldered hawk it feeds on a variety of food as small main mammal mals snakes frogs insects birds crawfish centipedes and even carrion in regions where rattlesnakes abound it destroys considerable numbers of the reptiles although it feeds to a certain extent on poultry und and birds it Is nevertheless entitled to general protection on account of the insistent warfare it wages A against field mice and other small rodents and I 1 insects n sects that are so destructive to youri young g orchards nursery stock and farm produce out of stomachs examined or 85 per cent contained the remains of mammal pests such as field mice pine mice rabbits several species of ground squirrels pocket gophers and cotton rats and only 02 contained the remains of poultry or game birds |