Red-Bellied Hawk Eats Caterpillars
Red-bellied Hawk Eats Caterpillars
A Red-bellied Hawk (Buteo Zineatus elegans) caught in a trap set near Firebaugh, Fresno County, California, was recently received by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. In the stomach there were a number of insect remains. These were sent to Dr. E. C. Van Dyke, who identified them as larvae of the hawk moth (Pnchysphynx modesta). This caterpillar when full-grown is from two to Iwo and one-half inches in length, of a light green color, with yellow lines on the head and along the sides of the body, and feeds on various species of willow. Eight of these caterpillars were found in the hawk's stomach together with the remains of two mole crickets (Stenopelmatus, sp.), one beetle (Coniontis, sp.), one ground beetle (unidentified), and some grass and pieces of wood that doubtless were picked up with the food.
Harold C. Bryant
Berkeley, California, November 24, 1920
