OSPREYS 
307 
360c. F. s. paulus {Howe). Florida Sparrow Hawk. Similar to 
F. s. sparverius but “rufous of upperparts very dark, particularly on the 
rectrices. Tail and wings short. Bill large and heavy.” (Howe, Cont. to N. 
A. Orn., I, 1902, 28.) 
Range. — Florida Peninsula. 
Nesting date , Ft. Thompson, Fla., Apl. 1. 
The Cuban Sparrow Hawk {361. Falco sparveroides ) is of accidental 
occurrence in the Florida Keys. It has two color phases; in one, the under- 
parts, including the under wing-coverts, are white; in the other, these parts 
are rufous. 
362. Polyfoorus cheriway {Jacq.). Audubon's Caracara. Ads . — 
Face bare; crown, lower back, wings, and belly black; throat buffy; nape, 
interscapulars, and breast barred with black and buffy; tail white, barred 
and tipped with black. Im. — Similar, but browner, and with few or no bars 
on the interscapulars and breast. L., 22*00; W., 16*00; B. from N., 1*25. 
Range. — N. L. Calif., Ariz., Tex., and s. cen. Fla. s. to Guiana and 
Ecuador; accidental in Ont. 
Nest, in a cabbage palmetto or on the tops of dense bushes. Eggs, 2-3, 
varying from cream-buff to rufous, heavily marked with shades of reddish 
brown and chocolate, 2*35 x 1*85. Date, Lake Kissimmee, Fla., Mch. 19. 
Caracaras frequently associate with Vultures and feed on carrion, 
but they also capture their own food. This consists largely of frogs, 
lizards, and small snakes, which the birds find while walking about 
on the ground in search of them. Their flight is strong, rapid, and 
direct, and bears no resemblance to that of a Vulture. 
37. Family Pandioniml Ospreys. (Fig. 20.) 
The Fish Hawk or Osprey has occasioned systematists no little 
difficulty, and it is variously placed in its own subfamily, family, or 
even suborder. There is virtually but a single species which ranges 
throughout the world, presenting in this wide area only sufficient varia- 
tion on which to base the three or four currently recognized forms. 
Unlike most Raptorial birds, Ospreys sometimes nest in close proximity 
to one another, drawn together not by sociability of temperament, 
but by community of interests. On Gardiner’s Island, L. I., there are 
about two hundred Osprey nests, the protection of an insular home and 
an abundant food supply being the principal factors in the development 
of this “colony.” 
The firm, dense plumage, large claws, the spicules which thickly 
beset the grasping surface of the toes, and the reversible outer toe 
are all distinctive characters and the evident outcome of the Osprey’s 
specialized feeding habits. 
364. Pandion haliaetus earolinensis {Gmel.). Osprey. (Fig. 20.) 
Ad. d 1 . — Upperparts fuscous, the head and nape varied with white; tail with 
six to eight obscure bands, more distinct on the inner web; underparts 
white, breast sometimes slightly spotted with grayish brown. Ad. $ . — Simi- 
lar, but the breast always spotted with grayish brown. L., 23*10; W., 18*25; 
T., 8*40. 
Range. — N. and S. A. Breeds from nw. Alaska, nw. Mackenzie, cen. 
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