138 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



BUTEO LAGOPUS 



254. Buteo lagopus lagopus (Briinn.)— THE ROUGH-LEGGED 

 BUZZARD. 



Falco Lagopus Briinnich, Orn. Bor., p. 4 (1764 — Christiansoe near 



Bornholm, Baltic). 



Buteo lagopus (J. F. Gmelin), Yarrell, i, p. 115 ; Saunders, p. 323. 



Description. — 

 Adult male and 

 female. Winter 

 and summer. — 

 Crown and nape 

 white heavily 

 streaked dark 

 brown, feathers 

 having dark 

 brown centres, 

 (sometimes with 

 rusty tinge) and 

 white edgings ; 

 mantle and 

 scapulars dark to 

 blackish - brown, 

 feathers usually 

 tipped greyish or 

 greyish- brown 

 and with varying 

 amount of white 

 and rusty or 

 rufous - buff on 



edges, concealed part of feathers, especially of scapulars, irregu- 

 larly barred brown and white ; back and rump uniform dark to 

 blackish-brown ; shorter upper tail-coverts blackish-brown often with 

 short white tips, longer upper tail-coverts white, with broad penulti- 

 mate patch and shaft-streak of blackish-brown followed by varying 

 number of blackish-brown irregular bars ; feathers of lores bristle- 

 like, black with short white tufts at base ; chin and throat white 

 streaked dark brown, streaks varying in width but usually broad 

 with little white ; breast varying considerably, feathers occasionally 

 having rather wide dark brown shaft-streaks on white or creamy- 

 white ground, but usually dark brown (often tinged with rust- 

 colour) covers most of distal part of feather and white is confined to 

 concealed basal portion and semicircular marks on edges of feathers, 

 breast thus very dark mottled irregularly with white ; lower-breast 

 and centre of belly white or creamy-white sparsely marked with 

 varying number of irregular dark brown, spot-like marks or irregular 

 bars ; long feathers on sides of breast covering flanks dark brown 

 often with greyish tips and often broadly barred white and greyish- 



A. Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo I. lagopus). B. Common 

 Buzzard (B. b. buteo). 



