ACCIPITRES — FALCONID.E — BUTEO. 9 



THE RED-TAILED BUZZARD. 



BUTEO BOREALIS. 

 PLATE VIII. FIG. 17 (Young). 



(STATE COLLECTION. Female.) 



Falco borealis. Gmelin. 



Red-tailed Falcon. Penn. Arct. Zool. Tel. 2, p. 205. 

 Red-tailed Hawk. Wils. Orn. Vol. 6, p. 75, pi. 52, fig. 2 (adult male). 

 White-breasted Hawk. Id. lb. Vol. 6, p. 78, pi. 52, fig. 1 (young). 



Falco borealis. Acdub. B. of A. 8vo. pi. 7 (male and female); Orn. Biog. Vol. 1, p. 2C5 ; Vol. 5, 378. 

 F. id. Nuttall, Man. Orn. Vol. 1, p. 102. Richardson, Fauna Bor. Am. Vol. 2, p. 50. 

 Bitteo borealis, Red-tailed Hawk or Buzzard. Gikaud, Birds of Long island, p. 3. 



Characteristics. Dusky ; whitish beneath, with dark hastate spots. Tail light reddish, 

 with a black subterminal band. Young : Tail dusky brown, with 

 several narrow blackish bands. Length, 20 inches. 



Description. Head large and flattened. Bill rather straight from the base ; tip much in- 

 curved. Upper mandible broadly lobate on its cutting edge. Third, fourth and fifth prima- 

 ries subequal ; the fourth longest. Legs feathered two inches below the joint in front ; naked 

 behind. Tail nearly even or very slightly rounded, extending two inches beyond the closed 

 wings. 



Color. Above, dark brown, with the margins of the feathers lighter ; beneath, the throat 

 and breast white, with a few short dark longitudinal streaks : in the adult, these are rust- 

 colored. Thigh-feathers white, with short interrupted transverse brown bars. Tail light 

 reddish brown, with a narrow black band in the male ; tip light colored. Bill light blue, 

 passing into black at the tip. Irides dark hazle. Cere and feet yellow. 



Length, 20-0- 2,4 '0. 



The Red-tail, Hen Hawk and Hen Harrier, by which names it is designated, resides in 

 our State during the whole year. It preys on the smaller quadrupeds, but is better known 

 by its frequent swoops into the poultry yard. It ranges from Mexico to the 58th parallel, and 

 is peculiar to this continent. 



[Fauna — Part 2.] 



