THE EAGLE-LIKE SUBFAMILY 



1977 



ance and habits resembling the buzzards, with which they are connected by the 

 afore-mentioned buzzard eagles. The common harrier eagle, represented in the illus- 

 tration on this page, is one of the smaller members of the group, the females measur- 

 ing twenty-six inches, against thirty-two in the largest African species. It is thus 

 rather larger than a kite. The general color of the adult bird is dark brown, with a 

 purplish gloss above, and the head tending to ashy brown, the quills being dusky 



COMMON HARRIER EAGI.E. 



(One-fourth natural size.) 



black. The tail is pale ashy brown, with a white tip, and three dusky transverse 

 bars. Beneath, the color is white, the throat narrowly streaked with brown, and 

 with a black shaft stripe to each feather, while the flanks are banded with widely 

 separated dark bars. The iris is orange yellow, the cere whitish, the bill horn col- 

 ored at the tip and gray at the base, and the feet pale grayish brown. Jerdon writes 

 that in India this harrier eagle is spread over all the more open parts of the country, 



