78 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



Photo by H. K. .h jb 



Courtesy of L>utinf; Pub. Co. 



BROAD-WINGED HAWK 

 Approaching its nest with a piece of bark in its mouth 



SENNETT'S WHITE-TAILED HAWK 

 Buteo albicaudatus sennetti Allen 



A. O. U. Xumlicr 341 



Other Name.— White-tail. 



General Description. — Length : male, 22 inches ; 

 female. 24 inches. Spread of wings, 50 to 56 inches. 

 Color above, ash ; below, white, barred on sides. Three 

 outer primaries notched on inner webs. 



Color. — .^nuLT M.-^le : Upper parts, including crown, 

 sides of head, and neck, clear ash, tinged on shoulders 

 with reddish ; lesser iving-c averts, pure reddish-brown 

 not extending to edge of zving ; rump, upper coverts, 

 and tail, pure white, unth a broad black band near the 

 tip and numerous fine irregular blackish cross lines ; 

 entire under parts, pure Zi'hite lightly crossed with fine 

 dark bars on sides and usually on thigh feathers ; the 

 greater coverts and secondaries like back but slightly 

 darker gradually deepening to dusky-black on prima- 

 ries, the inner webs of which are more brownish and 

 crossed with numerous darker bars, speckled basally 

 with white increasing in firmness and extent on second- 

 aries ; bill, blackish-horn : feet and gape, yellow ; claws, 

 black; cere, dull greenish. Adult Fem.\le: Similar to 



adult male but colors generally darker and reddish- 

 brown of wing-coverts more extensive. Young: Crown, 

 sides of head and neck, throat, lower breast and upper 

 abdomen, back, and wings, clear sepia-brown ; region 

 over eye and rear part of sides of head with a few 

 very narrow white streaks ; lores, a rather broad streak 

 below eye, and edge of wing, white; throat streaked 

 with whitish ; lower abdomen, thighs, under tail- 

 coverts, white with heart-shaped spots of sepia; tail. 

 grayish-ash shading to darker brown at end where 

 tipped with white, crossed or not with very faint 

 darker bars ; wing-coverts outlined with paler brown ; 

 bill, horn color ; legs, yellow ; claws black : cere, livid. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : Placed in low trees or 

 hushes within 10 feet of ground ; a large rough bulky 

 structure of sticks and grasses usually destitute of 

 lining. Eggs: 2 or 3, dull white, faintly and lightly 

 spotted with yellowish-brown. 



Distribution. — From central Texas south to south- 

 ern Mexico. 



Sennett's White-tailed Hawk is an exceedingly 

 handsome bird and a straggler over our border 

 from Mexico. Its banded white tail and con- 

 spicuous chestnut wing patch give it a distinction 



shared by no other Hawk. Though its habits are 

 not very well understood they are probably simi- 

 lar to those of others of the genus. 



R. I. P.R.XSHER. 



