Note: Information is dated. Do not rely on it.

Sparrow Hawk. The common name of several hawks, one of which, about twelve inches in length, is well known in Britain. The male is colored dark brown on the top of the head, and on the upper aspect of the body and wings. The under parts are of a reddish-brown color, marked with narrow bands of darker tint. The female bird is of a duller brown hue on the back and the head, and her plumage is diversified by numerous white spots. It is a bold, active bird, very destructive to pigeons and small birds. The American sparrow-hawk, Falco sparvarius, is the smallest of American hawks. It has a dull blue cap, a white throat, with a black streak under each eye, and its back is a reddish-brown. It feeds principally upon grasshoppers and other insects, but occasionally kills birds and mice. It usually nests in hollow trees. Unlike its European relative, it; is a beneficial inhabitant of a farm.

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