Genus— H A L I A S T U E . 
Haliastur Selby, Cat. Gen, Subgen., Types Aves, p. 2 
(note), 1840 
Dentiger Hodgson, in Gray’s Zool. Miscell., p. 81, 1844 
Ictinoaetus Kaup, Classif. Saugetli. u Vogel, p. 122, 1844 . . 
Also spelt — 
Ictinaetus Kaup, Archiv. fur Naturg., 1850, p. 39. 
Milvaquila Burmeister, Verz. Zool. Mus. Halle, p. 24, 1850 
Halinertus Heine and Eeichenow, Nomencl. Mus. Hein., 
p. 267, 1890 
Type H. indus. 
Type H. indus. 
Type H. indus. 
Type H. indus. 
Type H. indus. 
Medium Aquiline birds with small sharply-hooked bills, long wings, long 
tails, short naked legs and small feet. 
The bill is small, with the tip long, rapidly descending and much curved, 
the cere comparatively large; the nostrils oblique ovals, semi-operculate, 
and not covered by loreal bristles, though these advance over the cere ; the 
upper mandible shows pronounced sinuation on its edges. 
The wing is long : the first primary short, less than the seventh, the 
second about equal to the sixth, the fourth absolutely longest, the third little 
less and subequal to the fifth. 
The tail is long and rounded, scarcely wedge-shaped, and very little 
more than half the length of the wing. 
The legs are short, the tarsus feathered about one-third the length of the 
front, but not at the back : coarse transverse scales are seen in front, 
otherwise the tarsus is covered with reticulate scales which however tiecome 
larger on the back and resemble scutes and also show a tendency to fusion ; 
the tarsus is only about one-fourth the length of the tail. 
The toes are short, the middle toe ordy about two-thirds the length of 
the short tarsus. 
The type of Haliastur is indus, and this species as a subspecies occurs 
in North and Western Australia, being obviously a comparatively recent 
immigrant from the North. Another species, which is also referred to 
Haliastur, agrees structurally fairly well, but is larger, with a comparatively 
longer tail, with stronger legs and feet and different coloration. 
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