FALCONID^ 



BUTEO 



331 



D&scription. Adult male. — Above, black, most of the feathers 

 with concealed white bases ; primaries ashy becoming black toward 

 the tip, the greater part of the inner webs below the notch pure 

 white, secondaries ashy to white with narrow bands of dark brown 

 broadly tipped with black ; tail-feathers rich rufous with black 

 subterminal spots more or less developed ; below, the chin, throat, 

 and sides of the breast, black, centre of the breast rich rufous ; 

 abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts black mingled with white 

 and rufous ; tail very pale rufous below ; the coloration of the 

 under surface varies a good deal, white often predominates over 

 the rufous of the breast and also shows on the chin ; these are 

 probably not quite adult birds. 



Fig. 112. — Buteo jahal. x ^^ 



Iris grey-brown to yellow ; bill dark brown, tip black ; cere 

 and gape yellow ; tarsus yellow ; claws black. 



Length 21-5 ; wing 15-5 ; tail 7-5; culmen 1-5 ; tarsus 3*6. 



The female resembles the male but is larger, length 23'0 ; wing 

 16'5; tarsus 3 '6. 



A nestling in the South African Museum is covered with white 

 down, only the wing feathers which are dark brown are beginning 

 to sprout. 



A young bird is brown above, with paler and in some cases more 

 rufous edgings to the feathers ; wings as in the adult ; the tail- 

 feathers are like the back but tinged with rufous towards the base, 

 and show traces of narrow transverse bars disappearing towards the 



