356 FALCONID^ ASTUR 



B. Bather smaller, wing usually less than 7'5. 



c. Centre tail-feathers plain grey unbarred ; 



underparts narrowly barred ........... A.polyzonoides,ad.p.358. 



d. Centre tail-feathers barred, without 



white spots, under surface with pale 



rufous drop spots ........................... Apolyzonoides,juv.p.55S. 





543. Astur tachiro. African Goshawk. 



Le Tachiro, Levaillant, Ois. ft Afr. i, p. 100, pi. 24 (juv.) (1799). 



Falco tachiro, Daud. Traite, ii, p. 90 (1800) ; Temm. PL Col i, pis. 377, 



420 (1827). 

 Micronisus tachiro, Grill, K. Vet. AJcad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 48 (1858) 



[Knysna]. 

 Accipiter tachiro, Gurncy, Ibis, 1859, p. 241, 1860, p. 204, 1862, p. 155, 



1868, p. 144 [Natal] ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 28 (1867) ; Gurncy in 



Anderssori's B. Damaraland, p. 29 (1872). 

 Astur tachiro, Sharpe, Cat. B.M. i,p. 99 (1874); id. ed. Layard'sB.S. Afr. 



p. 20 (1875) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 361 ; Pendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 16 



[Barberton] ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 166 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Ibis, 



1898, p. 219 [Zululand]; id. Natal B. p. 142 (1899); Ecichcnow 



Tog. Afr. i, p. 552 (1901). 



Description. Adult male. General colour above, dark slate, 

 lighter on the head inclining to brown on the wings ; nape feathers 

 white at the base, sometimes showing through ; primaries and 

 secondaries barred lighter and darker brown on the inner webs, 

 the latter becoming white towards the base of the feathers ; tail- 

 feathers slightly tipped with white and crossed by three darker 

 bands, both markings becoming obliterated towards the outer pair 

 of feathers ; on the two centre feathers there is a dash of white 

 following the dark band on the inner web, cheeks and sides of the 

 neck pale slaty-grey; chin, throat, and underparts, including the 

 under wing-coverts, white, narrowly cross-barred with brown, 

 the bars most distinct on the chest ; flanks and thighs strongly 

 tinged with rufous. 



Iris light yellow ; bill black ; cere and legs yellow. 



Length (in flesh) 15'0; wing 7*75; tail 6*5; culmen 1/0; 

 tarsus 2-4:0. 



The female resembles the male but is rather larger ; wing 9*75 ; 

 tarsus 2-70. 



A young male is dark brown above, the feathers narrowly edged 

 with rufous, those of the head and neck with white bases, giving 

 those parts a mottled appearance; tail feathers with four darker 



