212 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
PLATE XXX 
DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY 
1* Crested Hawk Baza subcristata Gould 
Baz-a N.L., baza, hawk: snb-cris-ta-ta —sub as prefix, often = slightly 
L., cnstatus, crested. 6 
Distribution. —Northern and eastern Australia. 
Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting the margins of scrubs 
and belts of timber bordering rivers and plains. It is a harmless inoffen¬ 
sive species, fe edmg chiefly on insects and their larvae, or occasionally on 
dead annuals. When in flight it has a peculiar habit of “tumblin<r” utter- 
spfcies'of Ha4 ” Wl,,stl "« unlike that of any other Australia. 
lined^wit‘iTtetvei ght ren!; PI !f d T ucl ; ure ' composed of sticks and twigs; 
the^ground! * "" UPright ^ ^ at’Wgte apt ® tafrS 
Breedinl-seasonToTtobe^to December ” 6 blmsh ' white ’ unless nest-stained. 
f UZZar i ? amirostra ™lanosterna Gould 
Gk, melasLelanos)X^ t Gk, fi mel '- an -°- ster ^ 
north - western °A ust ra b'a, and'scmhAus?^^ 130 ' 1 ’ N ° rthern Territor >’ 
nesting in be^^f^Iimbe^rrrmvi 11 pairS ’, frcc l u enting open country, and 
is generally seen soaring hmh : n ?t on Plains or along watercourses. It 
Wedge-tailed Eagle. Exce.fr ;!£' “Yf* after . the manner of the 
trees, but generally Vests oTth, V 1 T% its nest ' k sddom frequents 
in the plumage elation of S ; f° Und ' There is ^onsideralile variation 
black on the breast. The fenf , spe . cie ^ > som e birds have little, or no, 
coloured than the male FnnrI • 3 6 !a ar f® r and more conspicuously 
(mostly rabbits) ; it has'the sinlnl^u- (chlcf1 >' b'zards) and animals 
and Bustards, and breaking th?! ' ° f robbin S th ^ nests of Emus 
Nest^-A large flat s f.'r, < * BS ^ a St ° ne g ra ^ its talons. 
Usually placed on a horizontal fn!-i. COn f POSec * st * c ^ s i lined with leaves. 
Eggs _Usuall AI ^ unral toik of a tree. 
purple and lavender markinpJ^R t<J , buff ’ b ° ldly b!otched with reddish- 
gS - Bree dmg-season: September to December. 
