BUZZARD (OF. buzart, Fr. base, from Low Lat. busk), Lat. butco. a kind of falcon or hawk). A hawk of the genus Bute°, a widely distributed group. They are of medium or rather large size, heavy-bodied, of strong but nwasured flight. They are not. so spirited as the falcons (q.v.) and capture their prey more stealthily. They live very largely on the smaller mammals, such as field-mice and squirrels, but they also often capture birds, and are frequent visitors to the poultry-yard. The wings arc rather long and pointed. exceeding the tail; feet robust, with tarsi partially feathered. The type of the genus is the common buzzard of Europe (Bunco vul garis), which measures about four feet across the wings, and is prevailingly brown, with a con siderable mixture of black on the upper parts, and of white or grayish white on the under. In America this species is replaced by Swainson's buzzard (Butco •`..,./rainsoni), which is one of the commonest large hawks from the Mississippi westward to the Pacific. It occasionally strays eastward through the Northern States. In color it is only slightly different from the European species. but it is somewhat larger. Some nine or ten other buzzards occur in the United States, but only two or three of them are widely dis tributed. The most common of these is the red tailed hawk Bute° borealis), found over all North America. The tail of the adult bird is a rich rufous, tipped with white and with a narrow black band near the tip. The red-tail is one of our largest hawks. measuring from four and a half to live feet across the wings. Though often called the 'hen-hawk,' he seldom attacks poultry. and feeds largely on frogs and insects, as well as mice and squirrels.. The nest is a large affair of sticks built in a tree from 30 to 70 feet from the ground. The eggs, laid very early in the spring. are usually three or four in
number, dull white. somewhat marked with brown. Closely allied to the red-tail is the red- shouldered hawk (Bute° lineal us), a somewhat smaller bird. and easily recognizable by the rufous wing coverts, forming a bright patch at the bend of the wing. The red-shouldered hawk has about the same range as the red-tail and is often confused. with it under the names 'hen hawk' and 'chicken-hawk.' but poultry is really a very insignificant part of its diet. Its breeding habits are similar to those of the red-tail. The broad-winged hawk (Butco latissimns) is much smaller than either of the preceding, and is confined to the eastern part of the continent. It feeds very largely on insects.
The name is often extended to the genus of which the rough-legged hawk (A rchibuteo. logo pus) is the best-known species. These buz zards are easily recognized by the feathered tarsus, the feathers extending clear to the toes in front. The rough-leg is one of the most wide ranging hawks known, being found in the Old World from Lapland to the Cape of Good Hope, and in America as far south at least as Virginia. It is somewhat darker than the European and is ranked as a separate subspecies. (See Plate of EAGLES AND DAWNS.) In the western part of North America is found a closely allied species, the 'California squirrel-hawk,' which is consid ered "one of the largest, handsomest, and most distinctively marked hawks of North America." Besides these various buzzards already men tioned. about twenty other species are known, lound in all parts of the world. In America, the name buzzard is commonly given to the Ameri can vultures (q.v.), of which the common tnr key-buzzard is the most familiar example.