General form, robust and powerful; bill, short, with the upper mandible
curved, and with a distinct tooth; nostrils, circular, with a central
tubercle. Wings, long, pointed, formed for vigorous and rapid flight;
tail, rather long; tarsi, short, robust, covered with rounded or
hexagonal scales; middle toe long, claws large, curved, and very sharp.
This genus, as restricted, contains from fifteen to twenty species,
found in various parts of the world, several of which more or less
intimately resemble the _Falco peregrinus_ of Europe, and the _Falco
anatum_ of America. They are remarkable for exceedingly rapid flight,
and great boldness in attacking animals on which they prey.
1. Falco anatum. Bonap. Comp. List p. 4. (1838.)
“Falco peregrinus Gm.” Wilson, Audubon and other authors.
Edwards’ Birds, I. pl. 3, 4. Wilson Am. Orn. IX. pl. 76. Aud. B. of Am.
pl. 16, octavo edition, I. pl. 20. De Kay, Nat. Hist. State of New York
Birds, pl. 3. fig. 8. Lembeye B. of Cuba, pl. 1. fig. 2.
Bill, rather short, strong, very sharp, with a well defined tooth in
the upper mandible; wings long, legs strong, middle toe long, claws
curved, sharp.
Adult. Frontal band white; top of the head, back, wing-coverts and
rump, bluish cinereous; every feather crossed transversely with bands
of brownish black; rump and lower part of the back lighter, and with
the dark bands less numerous.
Throat, sides of the neck and upper part of the breast white, with a
tinge of buff without spots, other under parts same color, with a
deeper shade, and with cordate or rounded spots of black on the lower
breast and abdomen, and transverse bars of the same black on the
sides, under tail-coverts and tibiæ. Quills, brownish black, with
transverse bars of yellowish white on their inner webs. Tail, brownish
black, with transverse bars of cinereous, very pale and nearly white
on their inner webs, and narrowly tipped with white.
Cheeks with a patch of black most narrow and clearly defined in the
adult bird, and separated from the color of the back of the head by a
white space; back of the neck, mixed with yellowish feathers, forming
an irregular collar. Bill, light bluish horn color, paler at the base;
legs and feet fine yellow. Sexes alike.
Younger. Entire plumage above, brownish black; nearly uniform on all
parts, and with little or no appearance of the bars which are seen in
the adult. Tail, uniform dark brown, with spots or irregular
transverse stripes of reddish white frequently only on the inner webs.
Frontal spot of white obscure, large space on the cheek, black not
separated posteriorly from the same color of the head above. Under
parts, white and yellowish white, every feather, except on the throat,
with a wide _longitudinal_ stripe of dark brown; the latter color
prevailing on the sides and abdomen. Throat, white, nearly every
feather with a very narrow central line of black. Tarsi and feet,
bluish lead color.
Dimensions. Female, total length 19 to 20 inches; wing, 14½ to 15;
tail, 7½ to 8 inches. Male and young smaller.
Hab. The entire eastern portion of North America, and perhaps western;
Greenland? Oregon? (U. S. Ex. Exp.) Jamaica, (Mr. Gosse.) Cuba, (Mr.
Lembeye.) Bermuda, (Sir W. Jardine.) Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. In the adult of this species, there is a white frontal band as in
the adult of the European _F. peregrinus_.
It is very similar in color and general characters to that species, but
is larger, and the young differ.
Audubon’s figures represent the dark-colored plumage described above as
that of young or immature birds. Wilson’s figure is that of a more adult
specimen, with the frontal band partially produced; but the bird in
completely mature plumage, has never been figured.
This bird frequently appears in the United States, generally on the
sea-coast in the autumn and winter, at which seasons, also, according to
Mr. Lembeye, it visits the island of Cuba. It flies with extraordinary
vigor and rapidity, and is remarkable for its bold and destructive
habits.
2. Falco nigriceps. Cassin,[3] _new species_. The Western Peregrine
Falcon.
Very similar to the preceding, but smaller, and with the bill
disproportionately weaker. Very similar, also, to _Falco peregrinus_,
but differing from both in the colors of the young bird, and in other
characters. Adult. Frontal band of white, very narrow. Head and neck
above, and cheeks, clear black, with a tinge of cinereous; other upper
parts, bluish cinereous, every feather having transverse bands of
brownish black, lighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts.
Throat and breast, pale reddish white; other under parts, lighter,
with rounded spots and transverse bands of black, and with a tinge of
cinereous on the flanks and abdomen. Tail above, pale bluish
cinereous, with transverse bars of brownish black, and narrowly tipped
with white. Patch of black on the cheek, very large, and scarcely
separated from the same colors of the back of the head and neck.
Dimensions. Total length, females (of skin) about 17 inches, wing 13
to 13½, tail 6 to 6¾ inches; males, total length 14½, wing 11½ to 12,
tail 5½ to 6 inches.
Younger. Entire plumage above, dark brown; many feathers, especially
on the rump, tipped with rufous; tail above, brown, with a tinge of
ashy, and barred with rusty on the inner webs. Under plumage pale
reddish ferruginous, paler on the throat, all the feathers with broad
longitudinal stripes of black, and many, also, with irregular
transverse stripes of the same color, which predominates on the flanks
and under wing-coverts, and which are marked with reddish white bars
and circular spots. Tibia, with transverse bars of brownish black.
Dimensions. Female (of skin), total length about 17 inches, wing 12,
tail 6½ inches.
Hab. Bear creek, California, (Mr. E. M. Kern.) Coast of Lower
California, (Dr. Heermann.) Chili, (Lieut. Gilliss.) Spec. in Mus.
Acad. Philada., and Nat. Mus. Washington.
Obs. This bird, of which we have seen numerous specimens, appears to be
distinct from _Falco anatum_. It is uniformly smaller than either that
species or _F. peregrinus_, but resembles Indian or other Asiatic
specimens of the latter strongly. The young differ from the young of the
species just mentioned, especially in the deeper and different red color
of the under parts of the body. In this character they more resemble
_Falco peregrinator_ of India, _Falco puniceus_ of Africa, _Falco
melanogenys_ of Australia. It has also generally the cheeks as strongly
marked with a black patch as the latter, and can, by that character, be
distinguished from either _F. anatum_ or _F. peregrinus_.
This species appears to inhabit the western portion of America as far
south as Chili.