200 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



Pernis. 

 Feathers of face and lores close, stiff, and scale-like, no 

 bristles ; bill rather feeble ; heavy and slow like Buzzards, 

 feeding on reptiles and insects, especially larvae of wasps 

 and bees, or even vegetable food in spring and berries in 

 autumn ; nest in tree ; eggs roundish, closely blotched with 

 red brown on a red or yellowish brown ground. 



Pernis apivorus apivorus (L.). Honey Buzzard. Fr. 

 Bondree ; Gcr. Wespenbussard ; ItaL Falco pecchiaiola ; Swcd. 

 Bivrak. 



$ 9 Subject to much variation. Above brown with dark 

 shaft streaks, crown and face sometimes grey ; beneath, white 

 with dark brown shaft lines and spots on breast and bars on 

 abdomen and flanks, or uniform dark brown with partly concealed 

 white bars on underparts ; head covered with short, stiff, scale- 

 like feathers (which identify at all ages). Bill horn black. Cere 

 bluish grey, yellowish next bill at base below. Legs and feet 

 yellow. Iris orange yellow. Wing 370-440 ($ the larger). 

 Tarsus 52-60. Bill 22-26. Young: iris brown grey to yellow 

 grey. Cere and base of bill below yellow. 



B?-eeds. — N. and C. Europe ; Denmark, Holland, Belgium 

 (rare), Russia from 66° N., Ural from 58° N., south to N. Spain, 

 Switzerland, N. Italy, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Rumania ; 

 occasionally British Isles. Migrates ; occurs on passage S. 

 Europe, Egypt, and N.W. Africa. Winters in tropical Africa. 



Blanus. 



Wing long and pointed ; chin feathers thin and bristle-like, 

 and over eye strong eyelashes; tarsus short, J. feathered; 

 about Kestrel size, but like Harriers in habits; partly 

 crepuscular; food, chiefly small mammals and insects; nest 

 on tree ; eggs yellowish white, blotched and clouded with 

 dark foxy red and blood red. 



Elanus caeruleus caeruleus (Desfontaines). Black- 

 winged Kite. 



$ 9 Above grey, lesser and median wing coverts black ; under- 



