PIGMY FALCON 61 
PIGMY FALCON 
Spiziapteryx circumcinctus 
Above brown with black shaft-stripes; head black with brown 
stripes and white superciliaries which join round the nape; rump 
white; wings black with white oval spots on the outer and white 
bars on the inner webs; tail black, all but the central feathers 
crossed by five or six broad white bars; beneath white, the breast 
marked with narrow black shaft-stripes; beak plumbeous, lower 
mandible yellow; feet greenish ; length 11, wing 6.5 inches. Female 
similar, rather larger. 
Tuts small Hawk is sometimes met with in the 
woods of La Plata, near the river; it is rare, but 
owing to its curious violent flight, with the short 
blunt wings rapidly beating all the time, it is very 
conspicuous in the air and well known to the natives, 
who call it Rey de los Pajaros (King of the Birds) 
and entertain a very high opinion of its energy and 
strength. I have never seen it taking its prey, and 
do not believe that it ever attempts to capture any- 
thing in the air, its short, blunt wings and peculiar 
manner of flight being unsuited for such a purpose. 
Probably it captures birds by a sudden dash when 
they mob it on its perch; and I do not know any 
Raptor more persistently run after and mobbed by 
small birds. I once watched one for upwards of an 
hour as it sat on a tree attended by a large flock of 
Guira Cuckoos, all excitedly screaming and bent on 
dislodging it from its position. So long as they kept 
away five or six feet from it the Hawk remained 
motionless, only hissing and snapping occasionally 
as a warning; but whenever a Cuckoo ventured a 
