

THE STEPPE -BUZZARD. 145 



in most parts of Russia, and parts of Asia, also in the Atlantic isles, 

 Corsica and Sardinia. 



256. Buteo buteo vulpinus Gloger.— THE STEPPE-BUZ- 

 ZARD.* 



Buteo vuLPiisrcrs Gloger, Aband. Vog. Klima, p. 141 (1833 — South Africa). 

 Buteo desertorum (Daudin), Yarrell, 1, p. 113 (in text) ; Saunders, 

 p. 322 (in text) ; B.O.U. List (1915), p. 337. 

 Buteo buteo desertorum (Daud.) Hand-List (1912), p. 116 (in note). 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — ■ 

 Like B. b. buteo and upper-parts sometimes indistinguishable but 

 usually feathers edged more rufous and often broadly edged rufous 

 and crown and nape sometimes more rufous than brown ; under- 

 parts varying greatly usually with markings more rufous than in 

 B. b. buteo especially tibial feathers and sometimes whole under- 

 parts almost uniform rufous with some whitish streaks on chin and 

 throat and some dark shaft -lines on rest of under-parts ; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts also more rufous than in B. b. buteo but 

 dark patch at base of primaries blackish in most rufous examples ; 

 tail usually more rufous and with bars on proximal half absent or 

 broken and sometimes absent altogether on central pair. (Occa- 

 sional examples are almost black.) 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts with feathers usually more broadly 

 edged with rufous than in any juvenile B. b. buteo ; under-parts 

 deeper cream or buff and dark markings rufous or tinged rufous 

 especially on tibia ; tail usually tinged rufous and without broad 

 subterminal band. 



First summer.— Moult apparently as in B. b. buteo after 

 which becomes like adult ; new feathers of tail usually more rufous 

 than in juvenile and with broad subterminal band. N.B. — Moulting 

 adults show that tail does not become more rufous or less barred 

 after first moult. 



Measurements. — 3 wing 350-385 mm., tail 175-195, tarsus 

 65-75, bill from cere 20-23 (15 measured). ? wing 350-390. Thus 

 smaller than in B. b. buteo but measurements overlapping. Struc- 

 ture as in B. b. buteo. 



Breeding-habits. — Much written on the breeding of this race really 

 applies to other forms (B.b. zimmermannce and B.ferox cirtensis). 

 Nest usually placed in tree of some kind. Eggs. — 2 or 3 in number, 

 decidedly small for Buzzard's eggs, spotted and blotched with 

 yellowish or reddish-brown on white ground. Average of 12 eggs, 

 53x41.7. Max.: 56x40.5 and 55x44.2. Min. : 50.7x41.8 and 



* According to Domaniewski and Grassmann both Buteo buteo buteo and 

 Buteo b. zimmermannce nest in large areas of Russia, from the Bug to the Volga, 

 and therefore they recognize two species, but this requires further confirmation 

 as B. b. zimmermannce is a very inconstant form, some specimens of B. b. 

 buteo and zimmermannce being indistinguishable. 



VOL. II L 



