(5 ) 



BUTEO PENNSYLVANICUS— WILSON. 



BROAD-WINGED BUZZARD. 



Broad-winged Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Wils. Amer. Om. 

 Falco Pennsylvanicus, Bonap. Syn. 

 Broad-winged Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Nutt. Man. 

 Broad-winged Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Aud. Om. Biog. 



Specific Characters — Body compact ; tarsi rather short, feathered 

 in front full half their length ; wings exceedingly broad in propor- 

 tion to the length of the body. Adult with the upper parts umber 

 brown ; tail dark brown, with two white bands ; quills blackish- 

 brown, the larger part of the inner webs white ; a blackish-brown 

 band from the mouth backwards ; lower parts yellowish-white, 

 marked with spots of dark brown, which markings are rather more 

 numerous on the breast ; body compact ; tarsi rather short and 

 strong. Young with the upper parts brown, the feathers margined 

 and tipped with reddish-brown and white; tail grayish-brown, 

 barred with darker ; lower parts yellowish-white, marked with 

 dusky spots. Length fifteen inches, wing eleven and a half. Fe- 

 male three inches longer. 



The discovery of this species is due to Wilson, who met with 

 two specimens in the woods near the Schuylkill, which appear 

 to be all that came under his observation. On Long Island it is 

 exceedingly rare, nor do I know of its being usually common any 

 where in the vicinity of New York ; though my friend Mr. Bell 

 has informed me that he had the good fortune to obtain seven, and 

 saw several others, during one day, when collecting in Rockland 

 County ; but previous to, and since that period, he has seldom seen 

 it. According to the observations of Mr. Audubon, in Virginia and 

 Maryland, and in all the States to the eastward of these, it is by no 

 means a scarce species. 



