284 FALCONHXE TINNUNCULUS 



" These birds during their stay in Damaraland, feed almost ex- 

 clusively on white ants, on which they fatten amazingly, as does 

 every other bird or animal that diets upon this insect. Locusts are 

 another favourite kind of food, but less certain. ! ' 



512. Tinnunculus amurensis. Eastern Bed-legged Kestrel. 



Falco vespertinus var. amurensis, liaddc, Eeia. Sibir. ii, p. 102, pi. 1, 



figs. 1-3 (1863). 



Erythropus vespertinus (nee Linn.}, Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 316 [Zambesi]. 

 Hypotriorchis coiicolor, Gurney, Ibis, 1866, p. 127. 

 Erythropus amurensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 41, pi. 2 ; Layard, Ibis, 



1871, p. 227 [Matabeleland] ; Gurney in Anderssons B. Damaraland, 



p. 17 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1873, p. 280, 1877, p. 341 [Potchefstroom] ; 



Gumey, Ibis, 1882, pp. 147, 152 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 239 [Bechuana- 



land] ; id. B. Afr. i, p. 145 (1896). 

 Cerchneis amurensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 445 (1874) ; id. ed. 



Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 66, 801 (1875-84) ; Oates, Matabeleland, p. 



299 (1881) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 152 (1899). 

 Falco amurensis, Seebohm, Ibis, 1887, p. 344 [Natal]. 

 Tinnunculus amurensis, Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 260 [Salisbury]. 



Description. Adult male. General colour above, slaty-black, 

 darkest on the head, somewhat paler on the wings and tail ; below, 

 bluish-grey, the throat almost white; thighs, abdomen, and lower 

 tail-coverts chestnut ; under wing-coverts pure white. 



Iris hazel ; bill yellowish-horn, blackish at tip ; cere, orbits and 

 feet, dark orange, claws yellowish-horn. 



Length 12-25; wing 9-0; tail 5-25 ; culmen 0-80; tarsus 1-25. 



The female is lighter than the male, a leaden grey, paler on the 

 wings and tail, most of the feathers obscurely barred with black ; 

 primary quills barred with white on the inner web ; tail with narrow 

 bars and a much broader subterminal one of black ; feathers round 

 the eye, and an indistinct moustachial streak black, rest of the 

 lower surface and sides of the neck creamy-white becoming tinged 

 with rufous on the thighs and under tail-coverts ; the breast with 

 conspicuous longitudinal blotches of dark brown, becoming some- 

 what transverse on the flanks ; under wing-coverts white spotted 

 with black. 



Length 12-5 ; wing 9-40. 



The young bird is like the female, but has the feathers of the 

 back edged and tipped with fulvous. 



Distribution. The Eastern Eed-footed Falcon has a very inter- 



