646 SYSTEMA TIC SYNOPSIS. — RAPTOEES—A CCIPITRES. 



spaces, being itiDre or less touched with reddish. The same style of marking on the wing- 

 coverts; the tai.' crossed with several narrow white bars, and the tip white. Young very 

 diiferent ; little or no fulvous or orange-brown ; above, plain dark brown, the wing-patch 

 indicated or not; head, neck, and under parts white or bufiy-white, fully streaked or arrow- 

 headed with dark brown. Tail brown, crossed with many lighter and darker bars, the 

 former mostly tawny on the outer webs, whitish on the inner webs; wing-quills extensively 

 variegated in similar pattern. Length of ^ 18.00-20.00; extent about 40.00; wing 11.50- 

 13.50; tail 7.50-8.50; tarsus 2.75-3.25; 9 20.00-22.00; extent about 45.00; wing 12.00- 

 14.00^ tail 8.50-9.50. Thero is much variation in size; Florida and Gulf specimens are very 

 small. Nearly as long as B. borealis, but not nearly so heavy; tarsi more extensively denuded. 

 The adult of this handsome hawk is unmistakable ; but the student may require to look closely 

 after the young. Eastern N. Am., ohe of the commonest hawks of the U. S., especially in 

 winter; not far N. in Brit. Am. Habits and nidification similar to those of B. borealis; 

 eggs 2-4, 2.00-2.25 X about 1.75, with the usual range of color- variation. 



621. B. 1. e'legans. (Lat. elegans, choice.) Western Red-shouldered Buzzard. The 

 crythrism of the last. In extreme case, the whole under plumage rich dark reddish, almost 

 obliteratiug the usual markings; wings and tail, however, stUl elegantly barred with pure 

 white. R. Mts. to the Pacific, U. S. 



622. B. abbrevia/tus. (Lat. abbreviatus, shortened.) Band-tailed Buzzard. Adult $ 9 : 

 Coal-black, glossy and uniform over the whole i)ody. Tail black ; viewed above, it seems to 

 be crossed with 3 zones of ashy-gray or slate-color, increasing in width and firmness from the 

 proximal to the distal one, and is narrowly tipped with white ; from below, there appear 3 pure 

 white zones, since the ashy is on the outer webs only of the feathers (both webs of the middle • 

 pair, however), and the white is on the inner webs. The plumage of the head is snowy-white 

 at the roots, and in some specimens, probably less mature, it is so extensive on the head; 

 Beck, and breast as to appear in spots on the least disturbance of the feathers. The wing- 

 feathers appear quite black in the folded wing, but their inner webs basally acquire the 

 usual light and dark spacing, with more or less whitish nebulation, or white areation. The 

 feet appear to be yeUow, the bill mostly dark. Young recognizably similar? Length of my 

 Arizona specimen 19.50; extent 47-50; wing 15.50-16.50; tail 8.50-9.00 ; tarsus 2.50; middle 

 toe without claw 1.60. A peculiar hawk, very unhke any other of the U. S., slightly built 

 with long wings and tail ; not yet well known nor worked out in all its plumages. Cent. Am. 

 and Mex. into Southwestern U. S. ; Ariz., Cala. (B. zonocercus, Scl., Tr. Z. S., 185S, pi. 59; 

 Ridgw., Hist. N. A. B., iii, 1874, p. 272. B. albonotatus, Gray.) 



**** Light-weights ; 3 outer primaries cut. 

 623 B. swain'soni. (To Wm. Swainson.) Common American Buzzard. Swainson's Buz- 

 zard. Adult (J 9 : Upper parts dark brown, very variable in shade according to season or 

 wear of the feathers, varied with paler brown, or even reddish-brown edgings of the feathers, 

 but without the clear fawn-color of the young ; the feathers of the crown showing whitish 

 when disturbed, and usually sharp, dark shaft-lines ; the upper tail-coverts chestnut and white, 

 with blackish bars. Quills and tail-feathers as below, but the inner webs of the former 

 showing more decided dark cross-bars upon a lighter marbled-whitish ground, and the latter 

 having broader and sharper, dark wavy bars. These large quills, and particularly those of the 

 tail, vary much in shade according to wear, the new feathers being strongly slate -colored, the 

 old ones plain dark brown. The tail, however, never shows any trace of the rich chestnut that 

 obtains in the adult B. borealis. Iris brown, never yellow ; feet, cere, gape, and base of under 

 mandible rich chrome-yeUow ; rest of biU and claws bluish -black. Adult ^ : Under parts 

 showing a broad pectoral area of bright chestnut, usuaEy with a glaucous cast, and sharp black 

 shaft-lines ; this area contrasting sharply with the pure white throat. Other under parts vi-hite. 



