356 FALCONID^ 



ASTUE 



-B. Rather smaller, wing usually less than 7-5. 

 c'. Centre tail-feathers plain grey unbarred ; 



underparts narrowly barred A.polyzonoides,ad.Tp.B5S. 



d. Centre tail-feathers barred, without 

 white spots, tinder surface with pale 

 rufous drop spots Apolyzonoides,juv.-p. 358. 



543. Astur taohiro. African Goshawk. 



Le Taohiro, Levaillanl, Ois. d'Afr. i, p. 100, pi. 24 (juv.) (1799). 

 Falcotaehiro,Z)n!(f7. TraiU, ii, p. 90 "(1800) ; Temm. PI. Col. i, pis. 377, 



420 (1827). 

 Mioronisus taohiro. Grill, K. Vet. Ahad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 48 (1858) 



[Knysna]. 

 Aocipiter taohiro, Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 241, 1860, p. 204, 1862, p. 155, 



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



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

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



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



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



1898, p. 219 [Zuluiand]; id. Natal B. p. 142 (1899); Beichenoiv 



Vog. 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 ; core and legs yellow. 



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

 tarsus 2-40. 



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 



