THE HONEY-BUZZARD. 



177 



First summer. — The juvenile plumage is completely moulted 

 from May or June onwards and bird then becomes like adult. 



Measurements and structure. — -(J wing 375-425 mm., tail 

 210-260, tarsus 53-60, bill from cere 21-23 (12 measured). $ wing 

 395-425. Primaries : 1st equal to or a little shorter or longer 

 than 7th, 3rd longest, 4th often as long, sometimes 5-10 mm. shorter, 

 2nd 15-30 shorter, 5th 10-25 shorter, 6th 40-65 shorter ; 2nd to 

 5th, and 6th less distinctly, emarginated outer webs and 1st to 5th 

 inner webs. Tail slightly rounded laterally, 12 feathers, tips 

 rounded. About half tarsus feathered in front. Toes and claws 

 long and slender, latter very sharply pointed but not very much 

 curved. Bill rather broad at base and cere long, upper mandible 

 curved, tip slender and sharply pointed, lower mandible shallow, 

 rounded and point rounded. Nostrils bare, slit-like and oblique. 

 Lores and round eyes compactly covered with short, rounded 

 feathers. No bristles or bristle-like feathers. 



Soft parts. — -Bill black, base of lower mandible grey ; cere 

 upper-part blackish, lower yellow ; legs and feet and iris yellow, 

 iris in any case in some juveniles dark smoke-brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — P. a. orientalis (East Siberia) is 

 stated to be larger. Lores covered with rounded feathers (not 

 bristles) distinguishes Honey-Buzzard at a glance from other 

 Accipitres. 



Field-characters.— In h a b i t s 

 beech forests and mixed woods 

 in hills and plains where it may 

 be flushed from ground when at 

 work on wasp nests. Often 

 mistaken for Common Buzzard, 

 but distinguishable from latter 

 by longer tail. Note quite 

 different from Common Buzzard's, 

 a short, shrill whistle, often 

 repeated. (E.H.) 



Breeding-habits. — A forest- 

 haunting Species, especially The Honey-Buzzard (P. apivorus) in flight. 

 partial to beech-WOOds. Nest. — ■ (From a diagrammatic sketch by H.M.Wallis.) 



Generally built up on foundation 



of old nest of some kind, usually in fork from main stem, and 

 composed of sticks and twigs, while cup is lined with fresh leafy 

 twigs of beech, renewed from time to time as incubation proceeds. 

 Eggs.— Normally 2, occasionally 1 only and rarely 3, very handsome, 

 white ground being almost hidden by deep, rich purplish-red or 

 red-brown, often very deep in colour, and smeared here and there. 

 Average of 100 eggs, 50.8x41.1. Max.: 60x41 and 53.6x44. 

 Min. : 46.5x40.1 and 47.3x37.7 mm. Breeding-season. — Late, eggs 

 vol. u. N 



