Part 27

Dimensions. Total length, female, 22 to 24 inches; wing, 17 to 17½; tail, 9 inches. Male—total length, about 20 to 21 inches; wing, 16 to 16½; tail, 8 to 8½ inches.

Hab. Entire North America; Oregon (Townsend). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.

Obs. This is one of the most abundant of the birds of this family, in all the States on the Atlantic, and is one of the most variable in plumage. Two stages of plumage—the adult black bird and the young, when the wide abdominal band of black is well defined—are easily recognized; but there are a variety of other plumages which are difficult to refer to their proper age, sex, or season. Although the stage of plumage described above as perhaps that of the young male (figured by Wilson, pl. 53, fig. 2, and Aud., pl. 422, fig. 2) may be correct, we regard it as by no means established, and in fact are inclined to suspect that there are two distinct species confounded.

2. Archibuteo lagopus. (Gm.) The Rough-legged Buzzard. Falco lagopus. Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I. p. 260. (1788.)

Wils., Am. Orn., IV. pl. 33, fig. 1; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 166; Gould, B. of Eur., I. pl. 15.

Very similar in general form to the preceding. Above light umber-brown; many feathers, especially of the head and neck behind, edged with yellowish white and fulvous. A wide transverse band or belt on the abdomen brownish-black; other under-parts yellowish-white, with a few longitudinal lines and spots of brownish-black; quills ashy-brown, with a large basal portion of their inner webs white; tail at its base white, which is also the color of the greater part of the inner webs of its feathers almost to the tip; terminal portion light umber-brown; tip white. Plumage of the tibiæ and tarsi pale reddish-yellow, striped longitudinally with brown.

Dimensions. Female—total length, 21 to 23 inches; wing, 16 to 17; tail, 9 inches. Male—smaller.

Hab. All of North America; Europe; California (Mr. Bell); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.

Obs. The bird here inserted as identical with the European Archibuteo lagopus has been usually regarded, by late naturalists, as the young of the species immediately preceding. Such may be the truth of the case, and our only reason for giving it thus is, that after careful comparison and examination of numerous specimens, we find it absolutely impossible to distinguish it, by any character whatever, from the European bird. Whether two birds can be exactly the same in all their characters, so far as presented by specimens, and yet be distinct in species, is a question that we are not prepared at present practically to decide. We regard it as quite possible, however, that the present may be the young of A. sancti-johannis. It is one of the most common species of its family. Mr. Bell’s specimens from California are, so far as we can see, exactly the same as the European bird, differing from eastern specimens only in very unimportant characters.

3. Archibuteo ferrugineus. (Licht.) The Western Rough-legged Buzzard, Buteo ferrugineus. Lichtenstein, Trans. Berlin Acad., 1838, p. 428. Archibuteo regalis. Gray, Genera of Birds. I. pl. 6. (1849, plate only.)

Larger than either of the two preceding. Bill wide at base; wings long; tarsi feathered in front to the toes, naked and scaled behind. Adult. Tibiæ and tarsi bright ferruginous, with transverse stripes of black, irregular and indistinct on the latter. Entire upper-parts striped longitudinally with dark-brown and light-rufous, the latter color predominating on the rump and lesser wing-coverts. Quills ashy-brown, lighter on their outer webs, and with the greater part of their inner webs white; tail above reddish-white, mottled with ashy-brown; tail beneath pure yellowish-white. Under-parts of the body white, with narrow longitudinal lines and dashes on the breast of reddish-brown and narrow irregular transverse lines of the same color, and black on the abdomen; flanks and axillary feathers (under the wing) fine bright-ferruginous.

Young. Entire upper-parts dark umber-brown, very slightly mixed with fulvous; upper tail-coverts white, spotted with brown; entire under-parts pure white, with a few narrow longitudinal lines and dashes of brown on the breast, and arrow-heads of the same color on the sides and abdomen, larger and more numerous on the flanks; tibiæ white; tarsi dark-brown, mixed with white; under wing-coverts and edges of wings white.

Dimensions. Female—total length, about 23 to 25 inches; wing, 17 to 17½; tail, 9 inches. Young—smaller.

Hab. California (Mr. E. M. Kern); Sacramento valley (Dr. Heermann). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This is one of the handsomest of the American Falconidæ. It is also one of the largest of the Buzzards, and easily distinguished from the preceding species. Of the recent American travellers, Mr. E. M. Kern was the first who brought home this fine species; since which adults, young birds, and eggs, have been collected by Dr. Heermann. It is not rare in California.

IV. SUB-FAMILY MILVINÆ. THE KITES.

Size various, usually medium or small. Bill short, weak, hooked, and acute; wings and tail usually long; tarsi and feet slender, frequently short. The birds of this sub-family habitually feed on reptiles and other small animals, and are deficient in the strength and courage of those of the other sub-families. About thirty-five species of all countries belong to this group.

I. GENUS NAUCLERUS. Vigors, Zool. Jour., II. p. 386. (1825.)

CHELIDOPTERYX. Kaup, Class., p. 112. (1844.)

Bill short and weak; wings and tail very long, the former pointed, the latter deeply forked. Tarsi very short; toes short. Contains not more than three species, two of which are American, and the other African.

1. Nauclerus furcatus. (Linn.) The Swallow-tailed Hawk. Falco furcatus. Linn., Syst. Nat., I. p. 129. (1766.)

Cat. Car, pl. 4; Buff., Pl. Enl., 72; Wilson, Am. Orn., VI., pl. 51, fig. 3; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 72, oct. ed. I. pl. 18; Gould, B. of Eur., 1. pl. 30; De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., Birds, pl. 7, fig. 15.

Wings and tail long, the latter deeply forked. Head and neck, inferior wing-coverts, secondary quills at their bases, and entire under-parts, white. Back, wings, and tail, black, with a metallic lustre, purple on the back and lesser wing-coverts, green and blue on other parts. Tarsi and feet greenish-blue; bill horn color.

Dimensions. Female—total length, 23 to 25 inches; wing, 16 to 17½; tail, 14 inches. Male—rather smaller.

Hab. Southern States on the Atlantic, and centrally northward to Wisconsin; Texas (Mr. Audubon); South Carolina (Prof. Gibbes); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Pennsylvania (Mr. A. F. Darley); Jamaica (Mr. Gosse). Accidental in Europe. Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This very handsome Hawk is especially abundant in the Southern States. It cannot readily be confounded with any other North American species, though we have not been able to compare it with the Elanoides yetapa, Vieill., of South America, with which it is either identical or very similar.

II. GENUS ELANUS. Savigny, Nat. Hist. Egypt, I., 97. (1809.)

Bill short, compressed, hooked; wings long, pointed; tail moderate, generally emarginate; tarsi short. Contains four species only, much resembling each other; one of which is American, one African, and two Australian.