Size medium; head rather large; face partially encircled by a ring or
ruff of short projecting feathers (as in the Owls). Bill rather short,
compressed, curved from the base; nostrils large; wings long, pointed;
tail long, wide; tarsi long and slender, compressed; toes moderate;
claws long, rather slender. Embraces about fifteen species, of all parts
of the world.
1. Circus hudsonius. (Linn.) The Marsh Hawk. The Harrier.
Falco hudsonius. Linn., Syst. Nat., I. p. 128. (1766.)
Falco uliginosus. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 278. (1788.)
Falco europogistus. Daudin, Traité, II. p. 110. (1800.)
“Falco uliginosus.” Wilson, Am. Orn., VI. p. 67.
“Falco cyaneus. Linn.” Aud., Orn. Biog., IV. p. 396.
Edw., Birds, VI. pl. 291; Vieill., Ois. d’Am., pl. 9; Wilson, Am.
Orn., VI. pl. 51, fig. 2; Bonap., Am. Orn., II. pl. 12; Aud., B. of
Am., pl. 356, oct. ed. I. pl. 26; Faun. Bor. Am., Birds, pl. 29; De
Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y. Orn., pl. 3, figs. 6, 7.
Form slender; tarsi long; ruff very distinct on the neck in front.
Adult. Upper-parts, head, and breast, pale grayish-cinereous,
generally more or less tinged with fuscous, and on the back of the
head mixed with dark fulvous; upper tail-coverts white. Under-parts
white, usually with many small cordate or hastate spots of
light-ferruginous; quills brownish-black, with their outer webs tinged
with ashy, and a large portion of their inner webs white; tail
light-cinereous, nearly white on the inner webs of the feathers, and
with obscure bands of brown; under-surface white; inferior
wing-coverts white; secondaries tipped with dark-brown. Young. Entire
upper-parts dark umber-brown, mixed with fulvous, and white on the
occiput and neck behind; upper tail-coverts white. Tail reddish-brown,
with about three broad bands of dark-fulvous, paler on their inner
webs. Under-parts rufous, with stripes of brown on the breast and
sides; tarsi and feet yellow. In younger birds, on the under-parts the
brown stripes are more numerous.
Dimensions. _Female_—total length, 19½ to 21 inches; wing, 15½; tail,
10 inches. _Male_—total length, 16 to 18 inches; wing, about 14; tail
8½ to 9 inches.
Hab. All of North America; California (Col. M‘Call); Oregon (U. S. Ex.
Exp. Vincennes); Cuba (M. de Sagra, M. Lembeye). Spec. in Mus. Acad.,
Philada.
Obs. Resembles to some extent the _Circus cyaneus_ of Europe, but is
easily distinguished from it by its colors and rather larger size. The
adults and young of this species present great differences in color and
general appearance.