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Painted

Published

1930

Volume

5

Plate

334

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Goshawk

Astur atricapillus atricapillus

DESCRIPTION

It is fortunate for the American Hen that the GOSHAWK resides mostly north of the United States, migrating southward only in winter when its toll from the poultry yard is necessarily limited because the birds are confined to their houses. It is the most destructive of the Hawks to game birds, the Ruffed Grouse suffering particularly from its depredations.

Altho swift in attack its flight is even and its death is often accomplished with a rifle in the hands of a fair shot. Like most Raptores, hunger deprives it of caution.

Goshawks lack the accuracy of aim and persistency in pursuit exhibited by the noble Hawks. Singularly enuf, the youngsters with their brown backs and stripes below, seem to have more tenacity of purpose than the old ones. I saw one of these immature birds dive into a hawthorn bush after a rabbit. The branches were so thick that he could not reach the quarry but he struck again and again, at each attack leaving a bunch of feathers hanging on the thorns. I walked toward the scene of action but apparently the bird did not see me at all. Every sense seemed concentrated on the desire to kill. I was within ten feet of him before he desisted, swinging off denuded of half his apparel. Bunny never made a move, either being paralyzed by fear or knowing that leaving that shelter with its thickly clustered spiked branches meant death. Fright had benumbed it so completely that altho I reached down and stroked its ears and back it did not move. Fear reacts among many forms of life in two directions — often as a protection, sometimes as a means of extinction. I have seen rabbits bolt like a brown streak for a hole and reach it. Others stop suddenly in the open and are captured easily by the pursuer. Nature is an impartial old dame, sometimes assisting the helpless, sometimes forgetting entirely and offering them up as sacrifice to any rapacious pursuer which needs a meal.

It is fortunate for the Ruffed Grouse that Goshawks are not numerous and that their winter visitations are infrequent. I have never seen more than five in a winter and probably have seen the same bird more than once; and some cold seasons go by without a glimpse of one. If the snow is deep and soft, they catch very few Grouse for the pursued bird will dive into the white blanket and once beneath its shelter is safe; a Hawk never attempts to go in after one.

One January day I was sitting on the bank of a small tributary of the Androscoggin River in Maine, with my back against a friendly birch, idly puffing the old pipe and enjoying comparatively warm sunshine. It had been a regular winter — steady cold and three feet of snow on the level — but that day the January thaw was on and the temperature must have touched forty degrees. A whir of wings broke my meditation; a Grouse shot past from behind, so close that the disturbed air fanned my cheek, and dove into the snow on the opposite bank. Mingling with the whir of its pinions came a thin whistling as a fine blue-gray form dashed in pursuit not ten feet behind. The interval was enuf and the foiled pirate swung upward on a long curve, the sun glinting for an instant on his fierce ruby eye. No moving picture ever has thrilled me like the breathless action of that near-drama. It happened years ago but even now as I record the scene a faint touch of the electric sensation reawakens.

BREEDING

NEST: usually in high conifer in inaccessible forest depths; of sticks, twigs, weed stalks and leaves; lined with strips of bark, grass and hemlock twigs.

EGGS: 2 to 5; pale bluish-white; sometimes faintly spotted with pale buffy-brown but normally immaculate.

RANGE

North America from Alaska and northern British Provinces south over United States.

goshawk
bobwhite
Bobwhite
289
florida-bobwhite
Florida Bobwhite
289a
texas-bobwhite
Texas Bobwhite
289b
masked-bobwhite
Masked Bobwhite
291
mountain-quail
Mountain Quail
292
plume-quail-san-pedro-quail
Plume Quail, San Pedro Quail
292a-292b
scale-quail
Scale Quail
293
chestnutbelly-scale-quail
Chestnutbelly Scale Quail
293a
california-quail
California Quail
294
valley-quail
Valley Quail
294a
gambel-quail
Gambel Quail
295
mearns-quail
Mearns Quail
296
dusky-grouse
Dusky Grouse
297
richardson-grouse-sierra-grouse
Richardson Grouse, Sierra Grouse
297b-297c
hudsonian-spruce-grouse
Hudsonian Spruce Grouse
298
alaska-spruce-grouse
Alaska Spruce Grouse
298b
franklin-grouse
Franklin Grouse
299
ruffed-grouse
Ruffed Grouse
300
canada-ruffed-grouse-gray-ruffed-grouse
Canada Ruffed Grouse, Gray Ruffed Grouse
300a-300b
oregon-ruffed-grouse
Oregon Ruffed Grouse
300c
willow-ptarmigan
Willow Ptarmigan
301
allen-ptarmigan-alexander-ptarmigan
Allen Ptarmigan, Alexander Ptarmigan
301a-301b
rock-ptarmigan-reinhardt-ptarmigan-nelson-ptarmigan
Rock Ptarmigan, Reinhardt Ptarmigan, Nelson Ptarmigan
302-302a-302b
turner-ptarmigan-townsend-ptarmigan
Turner Ptarmigan, Townsend Ptarmigan
302c-302d
adak-ptarmigan-dixon-ptarmigan
Adak Ptarmigan, Dixon Ptarmigan
302e-302f
evermann-ptarmigan
Evermann Ptarmigan
302.1
welch-ptarmigan
Welch Ptarmigan
303
whitetail-ptarmigan
Whitetail Ptarmigan
304
prairie-chicken
Prairie Chicken
305
heath-hen
Heath Hen
306
lesser-prairie-chicken
Lesser Prairie Chicken
307
sharptail-grouse
Sharptail Grouse
308
columbian-sharptail-grouse-prairie-sharptail-grouse
Columbian Sharptail Grouse, Prairie Sharptail Grouse
308a-308b
sage-hen
Sage Hen
309
merriam-turkey-wild-turkey
Merriam Turkey, Wild Turkey
310-310a
florida-turkey-rio-grande-turkey
Florida Turkey, Rio Grande Turkey
310b-310c
chachalaca
Chachalaca
311
bandtail-pigeon
Bandtail Pigeon
312
viosca-pigeon
Viosca Pigeon
312a
redbill-pigeon
Redbill Pigeon
313
whitecrown-pigeon
Whitecrown Pigeon
314
passenger-pigeon
Passenger Pigeon
315
mourning-dove
Mourning Dove
316
zenaida-dove
Zenaida Dove
317
whitefront-dove
Whitefront Dove
318
whitewing-dove
Whitewing Dove
319
groud-dove
Ground Dove
320
mexican-ground-dove-bermuda-ground-dove
Mexican Ground Dove, Bermuda Ground Dove
320a-320b
inca-dove
Inca Dove
321
key-west-quail-dove
Key West Quail Dove
322
bluehead-quail-dove
Bluehead Quail Dove
323
california-vulture
California Vulture
324
turkey-vulture
Turkey Vulture
325
black-vulture
Black Vulture
326
swallowtail-kite
Swallowtail Kite
327
whitetail-kite
Whitetail Kite
328
mississippi-kite
Mississippi Kite
329
everglade-kite
Everglade Kite
330
marsh-hawk
Marsh Hawk
331
sharpshin-hawk
Sharpshin Hawk
332
cooper-hawk
Cooper Hawk
333
goshawk
Goshawk
334
western-goshawk
Western Goshawk
334a
harris-hawk
Harris Hawk
335
redtail-hawk
Redtail Hawk
337
krider-hawk-western-redtail-hawk
Krider Hawk, Western Redtail Hawk
337a-337b
harlan-hawk-alaska-redtail-hawk
Harlan Hawk, Alaska Redtail Hawk
337d-337e
redshoulder-hawk
Redshoulder Hawk
339
florida-redshoulder-hawk-redbelly-hawk
Florida Redshoulder Hawk, Redbelly Hawk
339a-339b
zonetail-hawk
Zonetail Hawk
340
sennett-whitetail-hawk
Sennett Whitetail Hawk
341
swainson-hawk
Swainson Hawk
342
broadwing-hawk
Broadwing Hawk
343
short-tail-hawk
Short-Tail Hawk
344
mexican-black-hawk
Mexican Black Hawk
345
mexican-goshawk
Mexican Goshawk
346
rufleg-hawk
Rufleg Hawk
347
ferruginous-rufleg-hawk
Ferruginous Rufleg Hawk
348