155 
FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 
berry, and on climbing the tree I found a heavy platform of sticks 
three feet wide lined with Spanish moss. The young blundered out 
on my approach, showing the nest to be fairly covered with bones 
of wood rats. There were a dozen skulls, and bones, legs, skin, 
and fur were strewn over the nest. Vernon Bailey. 
GENUS BUTEO. 
General Characters. — Size medium and large, form heavy ; wings longer 
than tail; emarginate primaries 3 or 4; sexes alike or similar; female 
larger than male ; melanism frequent. 
KEY TO ADULT MALES. 
1. Three outer primaries with inner 
webs distinctly cut out. 
2. Primaries exceeding secondaries 
by nearly length of tail. Fig. 225. 
sennetti, p. 158. 
2'. Primaries exceeding secondaries by much less than length of tail. 
3. Wing over 14.swainsoni, p. 159. 
3'. Wing under 11.50. platypterus, p. 160. 
V. Four outer primaries with inner webs cut out. 
2. Outer webs of primaries spotted with white, huffy, 
or brownish. elegans, p. 157. 
2'. Outer webs of primaries without white, huffy, or 
brownish spots, but with quadrate bands. 
3. Tail black or blackish, crossed by white zones. 
abbreviates, p. 157. 
3'. Tail with more or less 
of reddish brown. Fi £- 22 ^* 
4. Upper parts strikingly marked and 
spotted with white. 
kriderii, p. 156. 
4'. Upper parts not strikingly spotted 
with white. 
5. Tail dark rufous. 
borealis, p. 155. 
5'. Tail pale rufous, calurus, p. 156. 
From Biological Survey, U. S. Dept, of 
Agriculture. 
Fig. 228. 
337. Buteo borealis ( Gmel .). 
Red-tailed Hawk. 
Adults. — Upper parts blackish brown, 
with white and gray markings; tail red¬ 
dish brown , usually with black subter¬ 
minal band ; under parts white to black¬ 
ish, with or without rusty on breast. 
Young: tail gray, crossed by 6 to 10 
dark bands; belly crossed by blackish 
zone. Male: length 19.00-22.50, wing 
13.50-16.50, tail 8.50-10.00, bill .95- 
