SENNETT WHITE-TAILED HAWK
341. Buteo albicaudatus sennetti. 22 in.
Adults grayish-slate above and to the sides of the throat; tail and underparts white, the former with a subterminal band of black and indistinct wavy lines and the latter with fine barring on the sides. The shoulders are largely chestnut. Young birds are brownish-black above and usually white below, but the underparts are variable—often streaked with rusty and blackish, or even wholly black.
They are useful hawks, their food consisting chiefly of insects and moles or mice.
Nest.—Built in bushes in open land, rarely more than six feet above ground. Composed of sticks, dry weeds and grasses making a bulky structure visible for a long distance. Three eggs are not uncommon but two is the usual number; they are dirty white with very few marks of brown (2.35 × 1.85). Their nesting season ranges from as early as February to July.
Range.—Not uncommon on the Gulf coast of Texas and in the lower Rio Grande Valley, southwards into South America.
