Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Hawk

HAWK, the name of the several species of the genera Accipiter and Astur. The sparrow hawk is Accipiter nisus, the goshawk, Astur palumbarius. Nauclerus furcatus is sometimes called the swallow-tailed hawk; it is, however, a kite. Also the name of the sub-family Accipitrinæ, called more fully sparrow hawks. The bill is short, suddenly curved from the base, with a large festoon in the upper mandible. The wings are short. The male is often much smaller than the female. Hawks are generally distributed over the globe. Their prey consists of small birds and mammals. They build in trees.