73 



chest brown, mottled with buffy-white ; 

 centre of breast whiter ; belly barred with 

 brown ; thighs dark brown, slightly barred 

 with rufous : feet smaller and slighter. 



B. Tail more definitely red in old birds, with 

 most or all of the bars obsolete (except in 

 intermedms). 



=jl38. Buteo viilpiuKs vulpinus'^ (iloger. Das 

 Abandern der Vogel, p. 141 (1833). [Afyica.] 

 [ = Z?. desertorum Daud. and B. i ufiventer 

 Jerd.] 

 Desert Buzzard. 



Smaller : wing S 340-380, ? 360-390 mm. : 

 tarsus 75 mm., wing with first 3 primaries 

 strongly notched, 4th less so (lacking the 

 recurved notch) ; above brown, with con- 

 spicuous rufous margins and blackish 

 shafts ; tail bright rufous, with sub- 

 terminal black band and remains of other 

 bars ; head, neck and under parts tawny 



W. Asia 

 (Turkestan) ; 

 S.E. Europe^ 

 (S. Russia to 

 (Caucasus) and 

 Asia Minor ; 

 S. to India, 

 Arabia and 

 Africa in winter; 

 cas. to Germany 

 and Brit. Isles. 



I Confusion has long existed regarding the East European Buzzards, and 

 three years of hard work on the group brings me to the conclusion that the only 

 way to overcome this confusion is to regard B. vidpinus as a species and " zimmer- 

 mannoe " [— intervicdius Menzb. — this name claiming priority] as a form of this 

 species and not of B. buteo. There is no doubt that B. v. intermediits is inter- 

 mediate between B. vidpinus and B. buteo, but there is also no doubt that inter- 

 medius is the representative form in E. Europe and breeds there along with typical 

 B. buteo buteo. Witherby admits this difficulty (Pract. Handbook I3r. Birds, ii., 

 p. 145, note) but follows Hartert in making vulpinus a form of B. biiteo, and even 

 goes further in doubting if " zimniermanucB " is separable. Col. Meiklcjohn tells 

 me also that the typical B. buteo and B. v. interniedius nest together in Esthonia 

 and do not interbreed. The inference is obvious that they must be different 

 species, and as I have always been convinced that vulpinus is a valid species, 

 ■differing widely from B. buteo in adult plumage, in plumage changes, in size, and 

 in habits as observed in the field, I feel that all difficulties are overcome by 

 regarding interniedius as a form of that species, intermediate between it and 

 B. buteo. One point that links the two latter forms is that both are not truly 

 migratory, although they move in winter. B. vidpinus vulpinus on the other 

 hand is a true migrant, going right down through Africa. This is unfortunate 

 in one sense, because African migrants are always assigned to vulpinus, while 

 European birds, especially the young with brown-barred tails, are as often as not 

 confused with interniedius or B. buteo. The differences are given above. B. 

 menetriesi Bogd. is a synonym of B. vulpinus vulpinus, as it is based on old birds 

 which have lost most of the tail bands. Mr. W. Sclater (MS.) states that in Socotra 

 B. vidpinus or an allied form breeds. 



