FALCONING. BUTEO. 
37 
long, curved or arched, tapering, very acute. Plumage 
generally full ; down very soft and copious ; wings large, 
of moderate length or very long ; tail of twelve feathers. 
The wings and tail vary extremely in length and form. 
The bill and feet also present various modifications. 
Falconine Birds are met with in all climates. They 
prey on animals of various kinds, which they pursue on 
wing, and seize with their feet, thrusting into them their 
long acuminate claws. The feathers, hair, and bones of 
their victims are disgorged in pellets. Their senses of 
sight and hearing are very acute, their flight powerful. 
They are generally incapable of walking, but perch with 
ease, and when roosted keep the body nearly erect. Al- 
though solitary, some species congregate occasionally when 
food is abundant. Their cries are loud and shrill. They 
nestle on rocks, on trees, or on the ground, forming a rude 
nest, or sometimes occupying that of another bird, and lay 
from two to eight eggs, the larger species having fewer ^ 
than the smaller. The young, which are at first covered 
with light-coloured down, remain until fully fledged. 
The colours of the plumage change, and are not perfect- 
ed until the third or fourth year. Sometimes also the 
female differs in colour from the male. The males are 
always much smaller than the females. When the sexes 
differ in colour, the young resemble the female, which is 
generally darker and more variegated than the male. 
GENUS II. BUTEO. BUZZAED. 
Bill short, compressed toward the end, with the upper 
outline sloping a little to the edge of the cere, then decurved, 
the sides rapidly sloping, the edges with a distinct rounded 
festoon. Tongue short, rather narrow, concave above, with 
the tip rounded and emarginate ; crop very large ; stomach 
large, round, a little compressed, its coats thin ; pylorus with 
three or four prominent rugae ; intestine of moderate length, 
rather wide ; coeca very small. Nostrils elliptical, oblique. 
