436 



BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



lars, and wings pass into a rusty tinge at the edge ; this color is, however, always preva- 

 lent on the head, which is conspicuously streaked with dusky. Tail plumbeous dusky, 

 darker terminally, with five regular light bars; those towards the base ashy, as they ap- 

 proach the end becoming more ochraceous; these bars are more continuous and regular 

 than in the adult female, and are seen conspicuously on the middle feathers. Primaries 

 dusky, passing on edge (terminally) into lighter; spots on the inner webs broader than 

 in the female, and pinkish ochre; outer webs with less conspicuous corresponding spots 

 of the same. Beneath soft ochraceous, marked as in adult female, but stripes less 

 sharply defined; tibiae not darker than abdomen. 



This little Falcon, like the Peregrine, is resident, locally, through- 

 out the State, but is comparatively rare. Like its larger relative, 

 it nests in cavities of large trees in the forest, but where suitable 

 cliffs occur it also builds its nest among rocks. 



"This Hawk," says Dr. Brewer,* "is remarkable for its rapid 

 flight and its courage and enterprise in attacking birds as large or 

 even larger than itself, though generally it only preys upon smaller 

 birds, such as Grakles, Bed-winged Blackbirds, Robins, and Pigeons." 



SUBGENUS Tinnimcultis VIEILLOT. 



Tinnunculus VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. 1, 1807, 39. Type Falco tinnunculus LINN. 

 P&cilornis KAUP, Nat. Syst. 1828, 108. Type Falco sparverius LINN. 



Falco sparverius (Linn.) 



AMEEICAN SPAEROW HAWK. 



Popular synonyms. American Kestril; Little Rusty-crowned Falcon. 



Falco sparverius LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1~;>8, 90; ed. 12, i, 1766, 128. WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 



117, pi. 16. fig. 1 (male), pi. 23, fig. 2 (female). Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 31, pi. 24. 



AUD. B. Am. fol. ed. 1831. pi. 22; oct. ed. i, 1840, 90, pi. 22; Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 246, pi. 



14-'. NUTT. Man, i, 1832, 58. CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 13, (s. g. Tinnunculus). 



COUES, Key, 1871,15; Check List, 1874,No. 346; 2d ed. 1882, No. 508; B. N. W. 1874,349. 

 Falco (Tinnunculus) sparverius B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 169 (var. sparverius). 

 Tinnunculus sparverius VIEILL. 1807. BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B, 1859, No. 13. RIDGW. Nom. 



N. Am. B. 1881, No. 420. 



Falco isabellinus SWAINS. Anim. in Menag. 1879, 281 (Cayenne). 

 Falco (Tinnunculus} sparverius var. isabellinus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 



107, 171. 



Tinnunculus sparverius isabellinus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 420ct. 

 Falco sparverius isabellinus COUES, 2d Check List. 1882, No. 509. 



SP. CHAK. Adult male (No. 12,025, Washington, D. C. : W. Wallace). Forehead, lateral 

 and posterior regions of the crown, occiput, and wings, bluish ash. Crown, nape, scapulars 

 interscapulars, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, fine cinnamon-rufous; scapulars and 

 back barred with black, the bars broadest and most conspicuous posteriorly. Tail tipped 

 with white, and with a broad, sharply defined subterminal zone of black, about one inch 

 in width; lateral feather, with outer web and terminal half of inner ashy white, the later 

 with one or two distinct transverse spots of black anterior to the terminal one. Wing- 



* Hist. N. Am. B. iii, pp. 150, 151. 



