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I'lGEON HAWK. 

 Falco columbarius. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Adult Male.— Entire upper parts bluish-slate color, every 

 r'eather with a black longitudinal line; forehead and throat 

 white; other under parts pale yellowish or reddish white; every 

 leather with a longitudinal line of brownish-black; tibiae light 

 ferruginous, with lines of black; quills black, tipped with ashy- 

 white; tail light bluish-ashy, tipped with a white and with a 

 wide subterminal band of black, and with several other trans- 

 verse narrower bands of black; inner webs nearly white; cere 

 iind legs yellow; bill blue; iris brown. 



Younper .—'Entire upper plumage dusky brown, quite light in 

 some specimens, and with a tinge of ashy; head above, with 

 narrow stripes of dark brown and ferruginous, and in some 

 specimens many irregular spots and edgings of the latter color 

 on the upper parts; forehead and entire under part dull white, 

 me iatitr vviin longitudinal stripes of light brown; sides and 

 flanks light brown; tibia dull white with dashes of brown; 

 pairs of circular spots of white; tail pale brown, with about 

 six transverse bands of white; cere and legs greenish-yellow. 



Young. — Upper plumage brownish-black, white of the fore- 

 head and under parts more deeply tinged with reddish-yellow; 

 ilark stripes wider than in preceding; sides and flanks with 

 wide transverse bands of brownish-black, and with circular 

 spots of yellowish-white; quills black; tail brownish-black, 

 tipped with white, and with about four bands of white; eeie 

 and feet greenish-yellow. 



Total length, female 12 to 14 inches; wing 8 to 9 inches; tail 

 a to 5% inches. Male, total length, 10 to 11 inches; wing 

 7"2 to 8 inches: tail 5 inches. — Baird's B. B. of N. A. 



Habitat. — The whole of North America, south to the "West 

 Inuies and northern South America. 



This litMe falcon breeds chiefly north of paralU^l 48 

 decrees, though, a.s Dr. Fisher adds, "in the mountains 

 it extends south of this latitude, and in the mountains 

 of some o>f the West Indian Islands it is a summer 

 resident." I have observed this hawk only as a visitor 

 during the winter season; further investigations, how 

 ever, may show that it, as some assert, occurs as a 

 native in some of our higher mountainous districts. 

 According to my experience this species is rather rare 



