BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 397 



toe), gonys nearly straight, slightly ascending terminally; not promi- 

 nent basally; maxillary tomium with a large anterior and a smaller, 

 more shallow, posterior concavity, separated by a short but distinct 

 median convexity; anterior margin of cere oblique, sinuated (slightly 

 convex above, concave below). Nostril rather small, nearly circular, 

 situated much above middle of anterior portion of cere, but separated 

 by a considerable interval from anterior edge of the latter. Wing 

 moderately long and pointed, the longest primary exceeding distal 

 secondary by less than one-fourth the length of wing; third to fifth 

 (usually fourth or fifth?) primaries longest, the fu'st (outermost) 

 intermediate between ninth and tenth; four outer primaries with inner 

 webs shallowly sinuated, then distal portion not incurved. Tail more 

 than half to less than half (aequinoctilis) as long as wing, its tip 

 truncate or ev^en faintly emarginate. Tarsus less than one-fourth as 

 long as wing, more than half as long as tail, feathered in front for about 

 upper third, the unfeathered portion of acrotarsium with about eleven 

 large, frontal, transverse scutella; middle toe (without claw) more than 

 half as long as tarsus; outer toe very slightly longer than inner, the 

 end of the latter reaching to or beyond middle or penultimate phalanx 

 of middle toe; hallux shorter than lateral toes, its claw much longer 

 than the digit and about twice as long as that of outer toe. 



Plumage and coloration. — Enthe loral region and considerable part 

 of orbital region nude or with very few minute bristles along anterior 

 edge of the former; the anterior portion of forehead also more or less 

 denuded (in aequinoctialis) or feathered (anthracinus; gundlachii); 

 plumage in general full and rather soft, the feathers broad and rounded 

 to slightly pointed terminally, those of upperparts distinctly outlined, 

 those of underparts more blended, those of head and neck narrower 

 and more pointed, almost cuneate on pileum. Adults very different 

 in color in the different species — black, dark brown, and cinnamon 

 rufous, or fuscous-black and whitish. Young mostly dull grayish 

 brown above, the secondaries indistinctly barred with dusky, the basal 

 portion of tail indistinctly barred with dusky and intermixed with 

 ochraceous; underparts pale ochraceous to bufl'y whitish, with dusky 

 spots across lower throat or foreneck, the thighs sometimes trans- 

 versely spotted with dusky. 



Range. — Southern Arizona and Texas to Brazil and Ecuador; also 

 in the West Indies (4 species). 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF BUTEOGALLUS 



a. Underparts buffy or whitish, naore or less marked with dark brown (young). 



h. Crown dark brown, unstreaked but margined with yellowish white; nape 



pale buff, unstreaked B. aequinoctialis juv. (extrahmital s"^) 



9^ Falco aequinoctialis Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, pt. 1, 17S8, 265 (Caj^enne). — 

 Buteogallus aequinoctialis Peters, Check-list feirds of World, i, 1931, 245. 



