SWAINSON HAWK.
342. Buteo swainsoni. 20 inches.
Their plumage is extremely variable, having all of the intergradations from a sooty blackish to the typical bluish gray above, and white below, with breast a rich chestnut color. Their habits are nearly as variable as their plumage. In some localities they nest wholly in trees; in others upon the ground or on rocky ledges. They seem to prefer, though, the low open lands covered with sage bush, where their food consists almost wholly of the small rodents; squirrels; mice and grasshoppers, the latter being eaten in large numbers.
Nest.—Is made similar to others of the family, laying two to four white eggs, splashed and spotted with various shades of brown, usually more about the larger end (2.20 × 1.70).
Range.—Western North America, from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, and Hudson Bay to southern California.