Female. Rather smaller than _B. lineatus_; wings long and pointed;
third primary longest; tail moderate, rounded. Entire upper-parts dark
brown, with a purplish-bronze lustre, especially on the primaries;
plumage of the head and neck behind, and some feathers on the back,
edged and tipped with yellowish-white; upper tail-coverts
yellowish-white, with transverse bars of brown. Tail above
brownish-cinereous, and having about ten narrow bands of
brownish-black, and tipped with white. Under parts pale
yellowish-white, or fawn color, with a few sagittate spots of brown on
the sides, and a stripe of brown running downwards from the corner of
the mouth. Forehead white; under wing-coverts yellowish-white. Cere,
legs, and irides, yellow.
Younger? Upper parts very dark-brown, or nearly black, with purplish
lustre. Under parts with almost every feather having a large spot of
brownish-black, which color predominates on the breast, so as to
present a nearly uniform color with the upper parts; throat with
narrow stripes of the same color. Flanks and inferior wing-coverts
with circular and oval spots of white. Tibiæ dark-brown, with
transverse bars and circular and oval spots of reddish-white. Upper
tail-coverts reddish-white, with their outer edges brown, and with
transverse stripes of the same. Under tail-coverts yellowish-white,
with transverse stripes of brown. Forehead white; cheeks
yellowish-white. Stripes from the corners of the mouth wide and
conspicuous. Sex unknown.
Dimensions. _Female_—total length (of skin), 19½ inches; wing, 15;
tail, 8 inches, and about an inch longer than the folded wings.
Hab. Wisconsin. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This is a well-marked species, especially in the stage of plumage
described above as probably the younger, in which the nearly uniformly
brownish-black breast and large spots of the same color on the other
under-parts, are striking characters. The first-described plumage
resembles that of _B. pennsylvanicus_. We have seen only the two
specimens now described, both of which are from the State of Wisconsin.
5. Buteo pennsylvanicus. (Wilson.) The Broad-winged Hawk.
Falco pennsylvanicus. Wils., Am. Orn., VI. p. 92. (1812.)
Falco latissimus. Wils., Am. Orn., VI. p. 92. (1812. Copies
printed later than those containing the preceding name.)
Sparvius platypterus. Vieill., Ency. Meth., III. p. 1273. (1823.)
Falco Wilsonii. Bonap., Jour. Acad. Philada., III. p. 348. (1824.)
Wils., Am. Orn., VI. pl. 54, fig. 1; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 91, oct. ed.
I. pl. 10; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Orn., pl. 5, fig. 11.
Smaller than either of the preceding. Adult. Entire upper-parts dark
umber-brown; feathers on the back of the neck white at their bases.
Throat white, with narrow longitudinal lines of brown, and with a
patch of brown on each side, running from the base of the lower
mandible; breast with a wide band composed of large cordate and
sagittate spots and transverse stripes of reddish-ferruginous tinged
with ashy; other under-parts white, with numerous sagittate spots
disposed to form transverse bands on the lower part of the breast,
flanks, abdomen, and tibiæ. In some specimens, in winter plumage, the
ferruginous color predominates on all the under parts, except the
under tail-coverts, and all the feathers have large circular spots on
each edge; under tail-coverts white. Tail dark-brown, narrowly tipped
with white, and with one broad band of white and several other
narrower bands nearer the base. Quills brownish-black, widely bordered
with pure white on their inner webs. Young. Plumage above umber-brown,
edged on the head and back of the neck with fulvous, and with many
feathers on other upper-parts edged with the same color and
ashy-white; upper tail-coverts spotted with pure white. Under-parts
white, generally tinged with yellowish, many feathers having oblong
and lanceolate longitudinal stripes and spots of brown; a stripe of
brown on each side of the neck from the base of the under mandible.
Tail brown, with several bands of a darker shade of the same and of
white on the inner webs of the feathers and narrowly tipped with
white.
Dimensions. _Female_—total length, 17 to 18 inches; wing, 11; tail, 6½
to 7 inches. _Male_—smaller.
Hab. Eastern North America; Florida (Abadie); Long Island (Giraud);
Wisconsin (Hoy). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This handsome little species is of rather unusual occurrence in the
middle and southern States, though according to Dr. Hoy it is abundant
in Wisconsin. It is an easily recognized species, though presenting
considerable variations in color, according to age and season.
The names _Falco pennsylvanicus_ and _Falco latissimus_ occur in
different copies of the sixth volume of the original edition of Wilson
(1812), and the probability is that the latter was substituted by the
author, in the later printed copies, after he had noticed that he had
previously applied the name _pennsylvanicus_ to another species. Of the
last three volumes only second editions were published under the
editorship of Mr. Ord; the seventh and eighth in 1824, and the ninth in
1825. The statement in Hall’s edition, I. p. 92 (Philadelphia, 1828),
that the name _latissimus_ was given by Mr. Ord, is therefore incorrect.
That gentleman, now President of the Philadelphia Academy, and of whose
advice and instruction we have the great advantage and gratification,
informs us that he had nothing to do with either of the names to which
we here allude.
6. Buteo Harlani. (Aud.) Harlan’s Buzzard. The Black Warrior.
Falco Harlani. Audubon, Orn. Biog., I. p. 441. (1831. Plate pub.
1830)
“Buteo borealis.” Gray, Catalogue of Birds in British Museum,
Accipitres, p. 34.
Buteo albonotatus. Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus., Accipitres, p. 36; Kaup,
Isis, 1847, pp. 329, 369?
Aud., B. of Am., pl. 86, oct. ed. I. pl. 8.
“Head very large; neck short; body robust. Feet of ordinary length;
tarsus a little compressed, scutellate before and behind, reticularly
scaly on the sides; toes scutellate above, scaly on the sides,
tubercular and scabrous beneath; claws curved, roundish, very acute.
Plumage compact; feathers of the head and neck short and rounded;
tibial feathers elongated, and loose at the tips. Wings long; first
quill short, third and fifth equal; first primaries cut out on the
inner web towards the end. Tail longish, ample, of twelve broad,
rounded feathers. Bill light-blue, black towards the end; cere and
angles of the mouth yellowish-green. Iris light yellowish-brown. Feet
dull greenish yellow; claws black.
“The general color of the plumage is deep chocolate-brown; the
under-parts lighter, the feathers there being margined with
light-brown. Tail lighter than the back, and rather narrowly barred
with brownish-black, the tips brownish-red. Under wing-coverts
whitish, spotted with deep-brown. Length, 21 inches; extent of wings,
45; bill, along the back, 1½; along the gap, from the tip of the lower
mandible, 1½; tarsus, 1¾.” (Aud., as above.)
Adult? Brownish-black, with a purplish lustre; occipital feathers
white at base, and a few white feathers in front at the base of the
bill. Under wing-coverts black, with circular spots and irregular bars
of white. Quills white on their inner webs for about two-thirds of
their length, and transversely barred with pale ashy-brown. Tail above
brownish black, tinged with ashy, and with about six to eight bars of
black, the widest of which is next to the tip, which is white. Inner
webs of the tail-feathers, except the two in the middle, white,
mottled with ashy, and with the transverse bars conspicuous; tail
beneath ashy-white. Plumage of the back and entire under-parts of the
body white at base, and having concealed pairs of circular and oval
spots of white most obvious on the abdomen and under tail-coverts.
Bill and legs light-colored.
Dimensions. Total length (of skin), 20 inches; wing, 16½; tail, 9½
inches.
Hab. Louisiana (Audubon); Mexico? Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. The only bird that we have ever seen which appeared to be this
species is that described above as probably the adult. It is one of two
or three species of black Buzzards which inhabit Mexico and Central
America, and we suspect it of being identical with _B. albonotatus_
(Gray, as above), though of that species there is no sufficient
description published.
7. Buteo insignatus. Cassin. _New species._ (March, 1854.) The Canada
Buzzard.
Form robust; wings rather long, third quill longest, secondaries
emarginate at their tips; quills unusually broad; tail rather short,
slightly rounded; tarsi feathered in front below the joint, naked
behind, and having in front about ten transverse scales. Under
wing-coverts and under tail-coverts white, the former striped
longitudinally with pale-ferruginous, and some of them transversely
with dark-brown, the latter with transverse stripes of pale
reddish-brown. Plumage of the tibiæ dark-ferruginous mixed with brown.
Throat and a few feathers in front white, with narrow lines of black.
Entire other plumage above and below dark-brown, nearly every feather
having a darker or nearly black line on its shaft. Quills above brown,
with a purple lustre, beneath pale-ashy, with their shafts white, and
irregularly barred with white near their bases. Tail above dark-brown,
with an ashy or hoary tinge, and having about ten obscure bands of a
darker shade of the same color, beneath nearly white, with conspicuous
bands of brown, the widest of which is next to the tip, which is
paler. Tarsi and feet yellow. Sex unknown.
Dimensions. Total length (of skin), 17 inches; wing, 14½; tail, 7½
inches.
Hab. Canada (Dr. M’Culloch). Spec. in Mus. Nat. Hist. Soc. of
Montreal, Canada.
Obs. Of this very remarkable little Buzzard one specimen only has come
under our notice, and is that above described. It belongs to the
collection of the Natural History Society of Montreal, by whom it was
most kindly sent to Philadelphia for examination at our request, through
the good offices of M. M’Culloch, M. D., a distinguished physician and
naturalist of that city.
In color, though a true _Buteo_, this bird differs from any known
American species, and more resembles in that respect some stages of the
young plumage of _Circus hudsonius_ or _C. æruginosus_. It was captured
in the vicinity of Montreal.
II. GENUS ARCHIBUTEO. Brehm, Isis, 1828, p. 1269.
TRIORCHIS. Kaup, Syst. Eur. Thier., p. 84. (1829.)
BUTAETES. Less., Traité, p. 83. (1831.)
General characters very similar to those of _Buteo_, but with the tarsus
densely feathered to the base of the toes, but more or less naked on the
hind part. Toes short; claws moderate; wings rather long. Contains about
six species, of both continents.
1. Archibuteo sancti-johannis. (Gmelin.) The Black Hawk. The
Rough-legged Buzzard.
Falco sancti-johannis and NOVÆ-TERRÆ. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. pp. 273,
274. (1788.)
Falco niger. Wils., Am. Orn., VI. p. 82. (1812.)
Buteo ater. Vieill., Nouv. Dict., IV. p. 482. (1816.)
Falco spadiceus. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 273?
Wilson, Am. Orn., VI. pl. 53, figs. 1, 2; Faun. Bor. Am., Birds, pl.
28; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 422, oct. ed. I. pl. 11.
Large, and rather heavy; wings long; tarsi feathered, a narrow space
naked behind; toes naked, and rather short. Adult. Entire plumage
glossy black, in many specimens with a brown tinge; forehead, throat,
and a large space on the head behind, mixed with white. Tail with one
well-defined band of white, and irregularly marked towards the base
with the same color. Quills with their inner webs white, most readily
seen on the under-surface of the wing. Some specimens have several
well-defined bands of white in the tail. Others have the entire
plumage dark chocolate-brown, with the head more or less striped with
yellowish-white and reddish-yellow. Cere and legs yellow.
Younger. Upper-parts light umber-brown, with the feathers more or less
edged with yellowish-white and reddish-yellow; abdomen with a broad
transverse band of brownish-black; other under-parts pale
yellowish-white, longitudinally striped on the neck and breast with
brownish-black; wings and tail brown, tinged with cinereous; quills
for the greater part of their length white on their inner webs;
tail-feathers white at their bases. Plumage of the tibiæ and tarsi
pale reddish-yellow, spotted with brown. Other specimens have the
throat and breast with the black color predominating.
Young male? Entire upper-parts light ashy-brown, more or less mixed
with white, especially on the head and fulvous; under-parts yellowish
white and dark-brown, the latter assuming the form of longitudinal
stripes on the breast, and narrow transverse stripes on the abdomen;
tarsi and tibiæ dark-brown, striped with dull-white and reddish;
greater part of quills and tail white. Cere and legs yellow.
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.