BUTEO BOREALIS, RED-TAILED BUZZARD. 353 



Pcecilopternis horealis, Kaup, Monog. Falc. Cont. Orn. 1850, 76. 



Buteo (Craxirex) horealis, Gkay, Hand-list i, 1869, 7, No. 46. 



Falco kverianiis, Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1768, 266. — Lath., lud. Orn. i, 1790, 18. — Daud., Tr, 



Orn. ii, 126.— Shaw, Gen. Zool. vii, 151.— WiLS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 78, pi. 52. 

 Falco jamaicensis, Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 266. 

 Falco aquilinuii, Bart«am, Trav. in Florida, 1791, 290. 



Buteo ferrugmeicaudus, Vieili.., Ois. Am. Sept. i, 1807, 32.— Cuv., R. A. 2d ed. i, 337. 

 Accipiier ruficaudus, Vieill., Ois. Am. Sept. i, 1807, 43, pi. lAbis. 



Buteo full-Its, ViELLL., O. A. Sept. i, 1807, 84; Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. iv, 1816, 468, 472. 

 Buteo americanus, Vieill, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. iv, 1816, 477; Enc. Meth iii, 1224. 



b. calurns. 



(!?) Falco huteo, AuD., Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 508, pi. 372 (not of Linncens ; uncertain ; more 



likely swahisoni). 

 (??) Buteo vulgaris, AuD., Syn. 18.39, 5 ; B.Am, i, 1840, 30, pi. 6 (not of authors ; same as 



Falco buteo, Auduhou). 

 Buteo sicainsoni, Cass., 111. 1854, 98 (exclusive of the synonymy; not of Bonaparte, nor 



of Cassin, 1858). 

 Buteo calurus, Cass., Pr. Phila. Acad. 1855, 281.— Cass., B. N. A. 1858, 22.— Brew., N. A. 



Oiil. 1857, 32.— Bd., Mes. Bound. Surv. ii, 1859, pt. ii. Birds, p. 3.— Bd., P. R. R. 



Rep. X, 1859, pt. iii. p. 11, pi. 14.— CouES, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 44.— Coop., B. 



C:al. i, 1870, 471.— Stev., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1870, 462. 

 Buteo montanus, Cass., Pr. Phila. Acad. 1856, 39.— Cass., B. N. A. 1858, 26 (but not of 



Nuttall, which is swainsoni). — Bkew., N. A. Oul. 1H57, 26. — Newb., P. R. R. Rep. 



vi, 1857, 75. — Bd., Mex. Bound. Surv. ii, 1859, pt. ii. Birds, p. 3. — Bd., P. R. R, 



Rep. X. 1859, pt. iii, 12. — Kexx., ibid. pt. iv, 19.— Heerm., ibid. pt. vi, 32. — 



Coop. & Suck., N. H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 147.— Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 



43.— Coop., B. Cal. i, 1870, 469.— Snow, B. Kans. 1873.— Stev., U. S. Geol. Surv. 



Ter. 1870, 462.— Merr., ibid. 1872, 697. 

 Buteo horealis of Gray, Brvaxt, and Allex, partly. 

 Buteo horealis var. calm us, Ridgw. — B. B. &, R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 286. — Coues, No. 351«. 



c. lucasanus. 



Buteo horealis var. lucasamis, Ridgw., Mss. — Coues, Key, 1872, 216 ; Check-list, 1874, 

 351b. -B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 285. 



d. Tcrideri. 



Buteo horealis var. Irideri, Hoopes, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1873, 238, pi. 5 (Iowa and Wiscon- 

 sin).— B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 284.— Coles, Check-list, 1874, No. 351>=. 



e. costaricensis. 



Buteo horealis var. costaricensis, Ridow.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 258, 285 ("B. 

 horealis of Central America"). 



Hah. — The whole of North America. Mexico. Cuba. Jamaica. 



List of specimens. 



19118 



6 



Wind R. Valley 



May. 28, 1859 F. Y. Hayden . 



22.00 50.75 17.25 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition.— 5iri3, Yellowstone River; 5158, Fort Randall, Da- 

 kota; 51.59, L'Eau-fpu-court. 



Later Fxpeditions.—^ySdf^i, Berthoud's Pass; 60628-29, Wyoming ; 60630, Uintah Moun- 

 tains {melanotic) ; 62231, Idaho. 



Few of our birds have caused more confusion among writers, or acquired a more in- 

 volved synonymy, than the Hawks of the genus Buteo. 



Setting a.sidc liiitalus nml ptunmilmuirus, as totally di.stinct from each other and from 

 the rest : ignoring for the moment " harlani " and " coojicri," we will confine ourselves to 

 consideration ot' the two species, boredlis, Gm., and sutiinxoui, Bi'. Tl\ese may be im- 

 mediately distingnislieil by the emargination of four outer primaries in horealis, and 

 only three in swaiusoni. There are other points, aside from color, which varies so greatly 

 in each. 



Borealis in all its variety of color is much tlie largest, the female averaging aboutr 

 24 inches in length, with a stretch of wings over 5(1 inches; it is very robust, with a 

 comjjaratively sliort wing, and short, stout legs. In tlie Hast it remains compara- 

 tively e«)nstant in color, Ji.side from the normal changes with age. In the West it riins 

 from a slightly darker, or more ferrugiueous cast, iuto a quite fuliginous condition, the 



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