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Story
February 14, 1919
The Herald And News
Newberry, Newberry County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
In San Francisco's Sutro forest, butcher birds have killed and carried off numerous pet canaries from their cages during the past week, marking an unusually high number this winter.
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Full Text
KILLING SONG PETS IN WEST
Butcher Birds Are Carrying Off Canaries by the Score in California.
San Francisco.—Scores of canaries have been carried away from their cages during the last week by butcher-birds, who by the thousands have taken up their winter abode here in the fastnesses of Sutro forest.
The butcherbird is described as a first cousin to the hawk, is about one-quarter the size and possesses a predatory bill. It is his habit to circle high in the sky until his sharp eyes catch sight of a canary as it perches in a cage hung on some veranda. Then, when it is satisfied that its movements are not being watched, it swoops noiselessly down, thrusts its talons and hooked beak through the bars of the cage, pulls the luckless bird from its domicile and flies swiftly away with its prey. Sometimes the butcherbirds seem to be satisfied with the mere killing of the songbirds.
The butcherbirds hibernate each winter in the Sutro forest, but their number this year is greater than ever before. In the summer they fly to warmer climates.
Butcher Birds Are Carrying Off Canaries by the Score in California.
San Francisco.—Scores of canaries have been carried away from their cages during the last week by butcher-birds, who by the thousands have taken up their winter abode here in the fastnesses of Sutro forest.
The butcherbird is described as a first cousin to the hawk, is about one-quarter the size and possesses a predatory bill. It is his habit to circle high in the sky until his sharp eyes catch sight of a canary as it perches in a cage hung on some veranda. Then, when it is satisfied that its movements are not being watched, it swoops noiselessly down, thrusts its talons and hooked beak through the bars of the cage, pulls the luckless bird from its domicile and flies swiftly away with its prey. Sometimes the butcherbirds seem to be satisfied with the mere killing of the songbirds.
The butcherbirds hibernate each winter in the Sutro forest, but their number this year is greater than ever before. In the summer they fly to warmer climates.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Animal Story
What themes does it cover?
Nature
What keywords are associated?
Butcher Birds
Canaries
Predation
Sutro Forest
San Francisco
Where did it happen?
San Francisco, Sutro Forest, California
Story Details
Location
San Francisco, Sutro Forest, California
Event Date
Last Week, This Winter
Story Details
Butcher birds, related to hawks, are swooping down on caged canaries in San Francisco, killing and carrying them off, with an unusually large number wintering in Sutro forest this year.