_Falco fuscus_, GMEL. Syst. Nat. p. 283, 1789.—LATH. Ind. Orn. p. 43,
1790; Syn. I, 98, 1781; Gen. Hist. I, 283, 1821.—MILL. Cim. Phys.
pl. xviii, 1796.—DAUD. Tr. Orn. II, 86, 1800.—SHAW, Zoöl. VII, 161,
1809.—AUD. B. Am. pl. ccclxxiii, 1821; Orn. Biog. IV. 522, 1831.—BREW.
(WILS.) Am. Orn. 685, 1852.—PEAB. B. Mass. III, 78, 1841.—THOMP. Nat.
Hist. Verm. p. 61, 1842.—NUTT. Man. 87, 1833. _Accipiter fuscus_,
BONAP. Eur. & N. Am. B. p. 5, 1838; Consp. Av. 32, 1850.—GRAY, List
B. Brit. Mus. 38, 1844; Gen. B. fol. sp. 4, 1844.—CASS. B. Cal. &
Tex. 95, 1854; Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1855, 279; Birds N. Am.
1858, 18.—STRICKL. Orn. Syn. I, 108, 1855.—WOODH. Sitgr. Exp. Zuñi
& Colorad. p. 61, 1853.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, P. R. R. Rep’t, VII,
ii, 146, 1860.—HEERM. Williamson’s Rep. 33.—NEWB. Williamson’s
Rep. 74.—COUES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. Jan. 1866, p. 7.—BLAKIST.
Ibis, III, 1861, 317 (fresh eggs).—GRAY, Hand List, I, 32, 1869.
_Astur fuscus_, DE KAY, N. Y. Zoöl. II, 17, pl. ii, fig. 2 (juv.
♂), 1844.—GIRAUD, B. Long Isl’d, p. 19, 1844. _Nisus fuscus_, KAUP,
Monog. Falc. Cont. Orn. 1850, p. 64. _Falco dubius_, GMEL. Syst.
Nat. 1789, p. 281.—LATH. Ind. Orn. p. 43, 1790; Syn. Supp. I, 37,
1802; Gen. Hist. I, 279, 1821.—DAUD. Tr. Orn. 1800, II, 122. _Falco
velox_, WILS. Am. Orn. pl. xlv, f. 1, 1808.—BONAP. An. Lyc. N. Y. II,
29, 1433; Isis, 1832, p. 1137. _Accipiter velox_, BEECH. Voy. Zoöl.
p. 15. _Astur velox_, JAMES. (WILS.) Am. Orn. I, 68, 1831. _Falco
pennsylvanicus_, WILS. Am. Orn. pl. xlvi, fig. 1, 1808.—LATH. Gen.
Hist. I, 280, 1820.—TEMM. Pl. Col. 67. _Accipiter pennsylvanicus_,
VIG. Zoöl. Journ. I, 338.—STEPH. Zoöl. XIII, ii, 32, 1815.—RICH.
Faun. Bor.-Am. II, 44, 1831.—JARD. (WILS.) Am. Orn. II, pp. 210, 215,
1832.—SWAINS. Classif. B. II, 215, 1837. _Astur pennsylvanicus_, LESS.
Man. Orn. I, 92.—_James._ (_Wils._) Am. Orn. I, 70, 1831. _Nisus
pennsylvanicus_, CUV. Règ. An. (ed. 2), I, 334, 1829.—LESS. Tr. Orn.
p. 59, 1831. _Falco columbarius_, var., SHAW. Zoöl. VII, 189, 1809.
_Accipiter ardosiacus_, VIEILL. Enc. Méth. III, 1274, 1823. _Accipiter
fringilloides_ (not of VIGORS!), JARD. (WILS.) Am. Orn. II, 215, 1832.
_? Nisus pacificus_, LESSON, Man. et d’Oiseaux, 1847, 177 (Acapulco to
California. Square tail). _Accipiter fuscus_, BREWER, Oölogy, 1857,
18, pl. III, f. 23, 29; pl. V, f. 54.
SP. CHAR. _Adult male_ (11,990, District of Columbia; A. J. Falls).
Above deep plumbeous, this covering head above, nape, back, scapulars,
wings, rump, and upper tail-coverts; uniform throughout, scarcely
perceptibly darker anteriorly. Primaries and tail somewhat lighter
and more brownish; the latter crossed by four sharply defined bands
of brownish-black, the last of which is subterminal, and broader than
the rest, the first concealed by the upper coverts; tip passing very
narrowly (or scarcely perceptibly) into whitish terminally. Occipital
feathers snowy-white beneath the surface; entirely concealed, however.
Scapulars, also, with concealed very large roundish spots of pure
white. Under side of primaries pale slate, becoming white toward bases,
crossed by quadrate spots of blackish, of which there are seven (besides
the terminal dark space) on the longest. Lores, cheeks, ear-coverts,
chin, throat, and lower parts in general, pure white; chin, throat, and
cheeks with fine, rather sparse, blackish shaft-streaks; ear-coverts
with a pale rufous wash. Jugulum, breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, and
tibiæ with numerous transverse broad bars of delicate vinaceous-rufous,
the bars medially somewhat transversely cordate, and rather narrower
than the white bars; laterally, the pinkish-rufous prevails, the bars
being connected broadly along the shafts; tibiæ with rufous bars much
exceeding the white ones in width; the whole maculate region with the
shaft of each feather finely blackish. Anal region scarcely varied;
lower tail-coverts immaculate, pure white. Lining of the wing white,
with rather sparse cordate, or cuneate, small blackish spots; axillars
barred about equally with pinkish-rufous and white. Wing, 6.60; tail,
5.70; tarsus, 1.78; middle toe, 1.20. Fifth quill longest; fourth but
little shorter; third equal to sixth; second slightly shorter than
seventh. Tail perfectly square.
_Adult female_ (19,116, Powder River; Captain W. F. Raynolds, U. S. A.).
Scarcely different from the male. Above rather paler slaty; the darker
shaft-streaks rather more distinct than in the male, although they
are not conspicuous. Beneath with the rufous bars rather broader, the
dark shaft-streaks less distinct; tibiæ about equally barred with
pinkish-rufous and white. Wing, 7.70; tail, 6.90; tarsus, 2.10; middle
toe, 1.40. Fourth and fifth quills equal and longest; third equal to
sixth; second equal to seventh; first three inches shorter than longest.
_Young male_ (41,890, Philadelphia; J. Krider.) Above umber-brown;
feathers of the head above edged laterally with dull light ferruginous;
those of the back, rump, the upper tail-coverts, scapulars, and
wing-coverts bordered with the same; scapulars and rump showing large,
partially exposed, roundish spots of pure white. Tail as in adult. Sides
of the head and neck strongly streaked, a broad lighter supraoral stripe
apparent. Beneath white, with a slight ochraceous tinge; cheeks, throat,
and jugulum with fine narrow streaks of dusky-brown; breast, sides,
and abdomen with broader longitudinal stripes of clear umber (less
slaty than the back), each with a darker shaft-line; on the flanks the
stripes are more oval; tibiæ more dingy, markings fainter and somewhat
transverse; anal region and lower tail-coverts immaculate white.
_Young female_ (12,023, Fort Tejon, California; J. Xantus). Similar
in general appearance to the young male. Markings beneath broader,
and slightly sagittate in form, becoming more transverse on the
flanks; paler and more reddish than in the young male; tibiæ with
brownish-rufous prevailing, this in form of broad transverse spots.
HAB. Entire continent of North America, south to Panama; Bahamas (but
not West Indies, where replaced by _A. fringilloides_, Vig.).
Localities: Oaxaca (SCL. 1858, 295); Central America (SCL. Ibis, I,
218); Bahamas (BRYANT, Pr. Bost. Soc. VII, 1859); City of Mexico (SCL.
1864, 178); Texas, San Antonio (DRESSER, Ibis, 1866, 324); Western
Arizona (COUES); Mosquito Coast (SCL. & SALV. 1867, 280); Costa Rica
(LAWR. IX, 134).