274 FALCONIDJi; FALCO 



Distribution. — Africa, south of the Sahara from the Gambia river 

 on the west and Shoa on the east southwards. In South Africa it 

 appears to be an exceedingly rare bird. The type was obtained by 

 Sir Andrew Smith on the banks of the Kei river in the eastern half 

 of the Colony. There is a young specimen from the neighbourhood 

 of Durban, obtained in February, preserved in the South African 

 Museum, but beyond these two I know of no other recorded 

 localities in South Africa. 



507. Falco ruficollis. Bed-necked Falcon. 



Falco ruficollis, Swains. B. W. Afr. i, p. 107, pi. 2 (1837) ; Sharpe, Cat. 



B. M. i, p. 404 (1874) ; Sharpe, cd. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 60, 800 



(1875-84) ; Gurneij, Ibis, 1882, p. 161 ; Butler, Feilden, and Beid, 



Zool. 1882, p. 170 [Rorke's Drift] ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 145 (1896) ; 



Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 434 [Zambesi] ; BeicJtenoiv, Viig. Afr. i, 



p. 631 (1901). 

 Chicquera ruficollis, Ourney, Ibis, 1868, p. 141 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, 



p. 288, 1878, p. 282 [Potchefstroom] ; Giirney in Andersson's B. 



Damaraland, p. 14 (1872). 

 Hypotriorchis ruficollis, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 21 (1867). 



Description. Adult male. — Crown and hind neck rich chestnut, 

 forehead whitish ; small eyebrow and a patch below the eye black, 

 rest of the upper surface cobalt-blue narrowly barred with black 

 throughout ; quills black barred with bluish on the inner webs ; 

 proximal two-thirds of the tail like the back, distal third black 

 with white tip ; below, chin and throat white, cheeks and breast very 

 pale chestnut, rest of the lower surface including the under wing- 

 coverts silvery-blue transversely barred with black like the back. 



Iris brown ; bill horny-black, yellow at the base ; cere and orbits 

 bright yellow ; legs dark yellow ; claws black. 



Length 12-25 ; wing 8-30 ; tail 5-35 ; culmen 0-75 ; tarsus 1-70. 



The female is larger, length 14-0 ; wing 9'51 ; tarsus 1-90. 



In the young bird, according to Alexander, the crown and 

 nuchal patch are blackish, the feathers edged with chestnut, the 

 forehead, neck, and throat creamy-white, the feathers of the inter- 

 scapulary region greyish-black, edged with rufous, as are those of 

 the wing-coverts, mantle, and rump ; feathers of the chest with 

 dark rufous shafts. 



Distribution. — The Eed-necked Falcon is found over the greater 

 part of Africa from Senegambia and Abyssinia southwards. In South 

 Africa it is by no means common, and has only been twice recorded 



