LAND BIRDS. 



257 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Head and upper part of neck entirely bare or with only a few "bristles;" wings very 

 long, when folded their tips reaching to or beyond the tip of tail. Tail much rounded. 



Adult: Nearly luiiform black, dull below, glossy above; the feathers of back, scapulars 

 and wing-coverts more or less margined with grayish b^o^\^l. Bill white; iris brown; 

 naked skin of head dull red; feet brownish black. Young: Similar, but bill blackish, 

 head dusky, and general color of upper parts black, with less bro^vn on scapulars and 

 wing-coverts. The young when just hatched, and for several weeks thereafter, is covered 

 with pure white down except on the head which is largely naked. 



Length 26 to 32 inches; extent about 6 feet; wing 20 to 23 inches; tail 11 to 12; culmen 1. 



Suborder FALCONES. Diurnal Birds of Prey. 



This suborder includes all our birds of prey except the Turkey Buzzard 

 and the owls, and under the scheme of classification recently (1910) adopted 

 by the American Ornithologists' Union, is divisible into three families, 

 viz., the Buteonidae, comprising a majority of all the species, the Falconidse 

 or true falcons (four species), and the Pandionidse or ospreys, a single 

 species. The latter, the Fish Hawk, is unique in the structure of its foot, 

 which has the outer toe reversible, the lower surface of all the toes thickly 

 studded with spicules, and the claws or talons strong, slender, much curved, 

 extremely sharp, and all of the same length — adaptations for holding the 

 slippery prey on which it lives. The other families, Buteonida; and 

 Falconidse are defined with difficulty, the single point by which they can 

 be diagnosed sharply being the anatomical structure of the shoulder, onh^ 

 to be determined by dissection. It seems best therefore not to attempt 

 to separate the three families here, but to give an artificial key for all the 

 species of the suborder, as follows: 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



A. Fourth toe (outer toe) reversible, i. e. turning 



either to the front or back; claws of all 



the toes approximately the same length. 



Osprey or Fish-hawk. No. 148. 



AA. Fourth toe not reversible; claws of uneciual 



length, that of the hind toe usually longest, 



that of outer toe shortest. (Fig. 71.) B, BB. 



B. Very large birds, wings 20 inches or more. 



C, CC. 



C. Tarsus or shank feathered to base of toes. 



(Fig. 74). Golden Eagle. No. 143. 

 CC. Lower third or half of tarsus without 

 feathers. Bald Eagle. No. 144. 

 BB. Not so large, wing from 6 to 18 inches. 

 J), DD. 



D. Cutting edge of upper mandible toothed 



and notched (Fig. 75). E, EE. 



E. With two or more teeth and inter- 

 vening notches on each side; 

 general color bluish-gray, almost 

 white on head; wing 10.30 to 

 12.30. Mississippi Kite. No. 133. 



33 



Fig. 71. 



