198 ^^ORTH AMERIC.AJX BIRDS. 



Elanus leucurvis (\'ieillot). 



BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE; WHITE-TAILED KITE. 



Mih-us Iciicurus, Vieill. Noiiv. Diet. Hist. Nat. XX, 556, 1816; Enc. Metli. Ill, 1205, 

 1823. Elanoidcs kuairus, VlEiLL. Enc. Jletli. Ill, 1205, 1823. Elanus Iciicuriis, 

 BdXAP. Eur. & X. Am. Binls, p. 4, 1838 ; Coiisp. Av. p. 22, 1850. — Gray, Gen. B. 

 fol. sp. 4, 1844; List B. Brit. Mus. p. 46, 1844. — Hicii. Schomb. Eeis. Brit. Gui- 

 ana, p. 735. —Cass. B. Cal. & TeX. p. 106, 1854 ; Birds N. Am. 1858, 37. — Kait, 

 Monog. Fak. Cont. Om. 1850, p. 60. — Heerm. P. R. R. Rept. VII, 31, 1857. — 

 Coop. & Suck. P. R. R. Rept. XIT, ii, 149, 1860. — Coues, Prod. Orii. Ariz. p. 12, 

 1866. — Strickl. Om. Syn. I, 138, 1855. — Gray, Hand List, I, 28, 1869. Falco 

 melanoptenis, Boxap. Joum. Ac. Phil. V, 28 ; Ann. Lye. N. Y. IT, 31 ; Isis, 1832, 

 p. 1137. Milvus dispar. Less. Man. Om. I, 99, 1828. Falco dispar, Bonap. Am. Orn. 

 pi. xi, f. 1, 1825 ; Ann. Lye. N. Y. II, 435. — AuD. Am. B. pis. cccli, ccclvii ; Orn. 

 Biog. IV, 367, 1831. — Temm. pi. cl. 319 {Jav.). —James. (Wils.) Am. Om. IV. 13, 

 1831. Elanus dispar, Crv. Reg. An. (ed. 2), I, 334, 1829. — Less. Tr. Orn. p. 72, 

 1831. —Jard. (Wils.) Am. Om. Ill, 378, 1832. — Bridg. Proc. Zobl. Soc. pt. ii, p. 

 109; Ann. Nat. Hist. XIII, 500. —AcD. Sjti. B. p. 13, 1831. — Brew. (Wils.) 

 Synop. p. 685, 1852. — Nutt. Man. p. 93, 1833. E. leucurus. Brewer, Oologj-. 



Sp. Char. Adult. Upper surface, including- occiput, nape, interscapulars, scapulars, 

 rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings (except lesser and middle coverts), soft, delicate, 

 rather light bluish-cinereous, becoming gradually white on anterior portion of the head 

 above. Rest of the head, with the tail, lining of the wing, and entire lower parts, pure 

 white, sometimes with a very faint tinge of pale pearl-blue, laterally beneath ; two middle 

 tail-feathers ashy, but much lighter than the rump ; shafts of tail-feathers black, except 

 toward ends. Bristly loral feathers (forming ante-orbital spot, extending narrowly above 

 the eye), a very large patch on the shoulder, covering lesser and middle wing-coverts, and 

 large quadrate spot on under side of wing (on first row of primary coverts), deep 

 black. Under side of primaries deep cinereous (darker than outer surface) ; under sur- 

 face of secondaries nearly white. Second quill longest ; third scarcely shorter (some- 

 times equal, or even longest) ; first longer than fourth. Tail slightly emarginated, the 

 longest feather (next to outer) being about .50 longer than the middle, and .00 (or more) 

 longer than the lateral, which is shortest. 



Male. Wing, 12..50; tail, 7.10; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, 1.1.5. 



Female. Wing, 12.80 ; tail, 7.10 ; tarsus, 1.45 ; middle toe, 1.35. 



Specimens not perfectly adult have the primary coverts, secondaries, and inner pri- 

 maries, slightly tipped with white. 



Still younger individuals have these white tips broader, the tail more ashy, and the 

 upper parts with numerous feathers dull brown, tipped narrowly with white ; the breast 

 with sparse longitudinal touches of brownish. 



Young (9, 48,826, Santiago, Chile, May, 1866; Dr. Philippi). Occiput and nape 

 thickly marked with broad streaks of dusky, tinged with rusty ; scapulars umber-brown, 

 tipped with rusty ; all the feathers of wings narrowly tipped with white ; tail-feathers with 

 a subterminal irregular bar of dark ashy ; breast tinged with rufous, and with badly defined 

 cuneate spots of deeper rusty. Wing, 12.25 ; tail, 7.50. (Perhaps not the youngest stage.) 



Hab. Tropical and warm temperate America (except the West Indies), from Chile and 

 Buenos Ayres to Florida, South Carolina, Southern Illinois, and California ; winter resi- 

 dent in latter State. 



Localities : Xalapa (Sol. 1857, 201) ; Guatemala (Scl. Ibis, I, 220) ; Brazil (Pelz. Orn. 

 Bras. I, 6) ; Buenos Ayres (Scl. & Salt. 1869, 160) ; Venezuela (Scl. & Salt. I8G9, 

 252). 



