III. SUB-FAMILY BUTEONINÆ. THE BUZZARDS.
Bill short, strong, upper mandible curved, and with its edges festooned; wings long and broad; tail moderate, rather short; legs and feet moderate; toes rather short. General form heavy; flight vigorous, and capable of being long continued, but not so swift as in preceding sub-families. This group comprises about twenty-five species of all countries.
I. GENUS BUTEO. Cuvier, Reg. An., I. p. 323. (1817.)
PŒCILOPTERNIS. Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 329.
Bill short, wide at base, edges of upper mandible festooned; nostrils large, ovate; wings long, wide, fourth and fifth quills usually longest; tail moderate, rather wide; tarsi rather long, and having transverse scales before and behind, but laterally small circular scales; toes moderate, rather short; claws strong. Comprises about twenty species, inhabiting all countries.
1. Buteo borealis. (Gmelin.) The Red-tailed Hawk. The American Buzzard. Falco borealis, leverianus and jamaicensis. Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I. p. 266. (1788.) Falco aquilinus. Bartram, Trav., p. 290. (1791.) Buteo ferruginicaudus. Vieill., Ois. d’Am. Sept., I. p. 32. (1807.) Accipiter ruficaudus. Vieill., Ois. d’Am. Sept., I. p. 43. (1807.) Buteo fulvus and americanus. Vieill., Nouv. Dict., IV. pp. 472, 477. (1816.)
Vieill., Ois. d’Am. Sept., I. pl. 6, 14; Wils., Am. Orn., VI. pl. 52, figs. 1, 2; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 51, oct. ed., I. pl. 7; Gosse, Ill. B. of Jamaica, pl. 2; Lembeye, B. of Cuba, pl. 1. fig. 1.
Adult. Tail bright rufous, narrowly tipped with white, and having a subterminal band of black. Entire upper parts dark umber-brown; lighter, and with fulvous edgings, on the head and neck; scapulars, with a generally concealed basal portion, white, with brown bands; upper tail-coverts generally yellowish white, but frequently on their inner webs of the same rufous as the tail, and with brown spots and bands. Throat white, with brown longitudinal stripes; other under-parts yellowish-white or fawn color, with many longitudinal lines and spots of reddish-brown, tinged with fulvous, most numerous on the breast, and an irregular band across the abdomen of oblong longitudinal spots and narrow transverse bars; under tail-coverts and tibiæ generally immaculate, but the latter frequently spotted, and transversely barred with light rufous. Under surface of the tail silvery white. Young. Tail, in many specimens, pale-brown, with numerous bands of a deeper shade of the same color, and tipped with white; upper tail-coverts white, banded more or less regularly with dark-brown; other upper parts dark umber-brown, many feathers narrowly edged with white and with partially concealed spots of white. Entire under-parts white, sides of the breast with large oval spots of brown, and a wide irregular band on the abdomen composed of similar spots of the same color; tibiæ and under tail-coverts with irregular bands and sagittate spots of brown.
Dimensions. Female—total length, 22 to 24 inches; wing, 15½ to 16; tail, 8½ inches. Male—19½ to 21 inches; wing, 14; tail, 7½ to 8 inches.
Hab. Eastern North America; Fur-countries (Richardson); Wisconsin (Hoy); Florida (Bartram); Jamaica (Gosse); Cuba (Lembeye).
Obs. One of the most common and easily recognized of the North American species. It is diffused throughout the eastern portion of the continent, but in the west appears to be replaced by the succeeding.
2. Buteo Swainsoni. Bonaparte, Comp. List, p. 3. (1838.) The Western Buzzard. Buteo montana. Nutt., Man. Orn., I. p. 112. (1840.) “Buteo vulgaris.” Rich. and Sw., Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 47. “Falco buteo. Linn.” Aud., Orn. Biog., IV. p. 508.
Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, pl. 27; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 372, oct. ed., I. pl. 6.
General form and appearance very similar to B. borealis, but rather larger, and with the wings longer; neck and upper part of the breast brown; tibiæ light rufous, with transverse bars of a deeper shade of the same. Tail bright rufous, narrowly tipped with white, and with a subterminal band of black; upper tail-coverts rufous and white; entire other upper parts dark umber-brown, with partially concealed ashy-white and pale fulvous bands and spots on the scapulars and shorter quills. Lower breast white, tinged and with irregular transverse bands of pale-rufous; abdomen with a broad irregular transverse band composed of longitudinal lines and oblong spots of brown, and tinged with rufous. This abdominal band nearly obsolete in some specimens. Under tail-coverts yellowish-white; under surface of the tail silvery-white, with a reddish shade.
Young. Upper parts dark-brown, edged and spotted with white tinged with rufous; tail above ashy-brown, with dark-brown bands, and tipped with white. Under parts white, on the sides and abdomen with large oblong spots of brown; tibiæ and under tail-coverts white, with transverse bars and large spots of brown.
Dimensions. Female—total length, 23 to 26 inches; wing, 16½ to 17; tail, 9 to 10 inches. Male—smaller.
Hab. Northern and western regions—Rocky Mountains and Oregon (Dr. Townsend); California (Mr. Bell); Wisconsin (Dr. Roy); Mexico (Rivoli collection).
Obs. Nearly related to B. borealis, and much resembling it. We have never seen, however, specimens of the latter with the brown space on the neck and breast so extensive as in specimens of the present species brought from California by Mr. Bell, nor with the transverse bars on the abdomen, as is usual in this species, and as represented in the plate in Fauna Boreali Americana. It is brought frequently in collections from Western America; and the young may be Buteo ventralis. Gould.
3. Buteo lineatus. (Gmelin.) The Red-shouldered Hawk. The Winter Falcon. Falco lineatus and hyemalis. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. pp. 268, 274. (1788.) Falco buteoides. Nutt., Man., I. p. 100. (1st edition, 1832.)
Vieill., Ois. d’Am. Sept., pl. 5; Wils., Am. Orn., pl. 53, fig. 3; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 56, 71, oct. ed., I. pl. 9; Nat. Hist. N. Y., pl. 6, fig. 13.
Smaller than the preceding. Adult. Wing-coverts, from its flexure to the body, fine bright rufous; breast and other inferior parts paler rufous; many feathers with narrow lines of black on their shafts, and spotted and barred transversely with white; the latter color predominating on the under tail-coverts. Entire upper-parts brown; on the head and neck much mixed with rufous, and with white spots on the wing-coverts and shorter quills and rump; quills brownish-black, spotted with white on their outer webs, and with bars of a lighter shade of the same color and of white on their inner webs; tail brownish-black, with about five transverse bands of white, and tipped with white. Younger. Under parts with large sagittate spots and wide bars of rufous, tinged with brown. Young. Entire under-parts yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes and oblong spots of brown; throat brown; upper parts brown, with partially concealed spots and bars of white; quills dark-brown, with wide bars of rufous, and white on both webs; tail brown, with many bands of pale brownish and rufous-white; tail beneath silvery-white.
Dimensions. Female—total length, 22 to 24 inches; wing, 14; tail, 9 inches. Male—total length, 18 to 20 inches; wing, 11½ to 12; tail, 8 inches.
Hab. North America; Oregon (Townsend); California (Heermann); Wisconsin (Hoy); South Carolina (Gibbes).
Obs. An abundant and rather difficult species to the student. The young bird, which is Falco hyemalis Gm., is the more usually met with, and bears very little resemblance to the adult.
4. Buteo Bairdii. Hoy, Proc. Acad. Philada., VI. p. 451. (1853.)
Female. Rather smaller than B. lineatus; wings long and pointed; third primary longest; tail moderate, rounded. Entire upper-parts dark brown, with a purplish-bronze lustre, especially on the primaries; plumage of the head and neck behind, and some feathers on the back, edged and tipped with yellowish-white; upper tail-coverts yellowish-white, with transverse bars of brown. Tail above brownish-cinereous, and having about ten narrow bands of brownish-black, and tipped with white. Under parts pale yellowish-white, or fawn color, with a few sagittate spots of brown on the sides, and a stripe of brown running downwards from the corner of the mouth. Forehead white; under wing-coverts yellowish-white. Cere, legs, and irides, yellow.
Younger? Upper parts very dark-brown, or nearly black, with purplish lustre. Under parts with almost every feather having a large spot of brownish-black, which color predominates on the breast, so as to present a nearly uniform color with the upper parts; throat with narrow stripes of the same color. Flanks and inferior wing-coverts with circular and oval spots of white. Tibiæ dark-brown, with transverse bars and circular and oval spots of reddish-white. Upper tail-coverts reddish-white, with their outer edges brown, and with transverse stripes of the same. Under tail-coverts yellowish-white, with transverse stripes of brown. Forehead white; cheeks yellowish-white. Stripes from the corners of the mouth wide and conspicuous. Sex unknown.
Dimensions. Female—total length (of skin), 19½ inches; wing, 15; tail, 8 inches, and about an inch longer than the folded wings.
Hab. Wisconsin. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This is a well-marked species, especially in the stage of plumage described above as probably the younger, in which the nearly uniformly brownish-black breast and large spots of the same color on the other under-parts, are striking characters. The first-described plumage resembles that of B. pennsylvanicus. We have seen only the two specimens now described, both of which are from the State of Wisconsin.
5. Buteo pennsylvanicus. (Wilson.) The Broad-winged Hawk. Falco pennsylvanicus. Wils., Am. Orn., VI. p. 92. (1812.) Falco latissimus. Wils., Am. Orn., VI. p. 92. (1812. Copies printed later than those containing the preceding name.) Sparvius platypterus. Vieill., Ency. Meth., III. p. 1273. (1823.) Falco Wilsonii. Bonap., Jour. Acad. Philada., III. p. 348. (1824.)
Wils., Am. Orn., VI. pl. 54, fig. 1; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 91, oct. ed. I. pl. 10; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Orn., pl. 5, fig. 11.
Smaller than either of the preceding. Adult. Entire upper-parts dark umber-brown; feathers on the back of the neck white at their bases. Throat white, with narrow longitudinal lines of brown, and with a patch of brown on each side, running from the base of the lower mandible; breast with a wide band composed of large cordate and sagittate spots and transverse stripes of reddish-ferruginous tinged with ashy; other under-parts white, with numerous sagittate spots disposed to form transverse bands on the lower part of the breast, flanks, abdomen, and tibiæ. In some specimens, in winter plumage, the ferruginous color predominates on all the under parts, except the under tail-coverts, and all the feathers have large circular spots on each edge; under tail-coverts white. Tail dark-brown, narrowly tipped with white, and with one broad band of white and several other narrower bands nearer the base. Quills brownish-black, widely bordered with pure white on their inner webs. Young. Plumage above umber-brown, edged on the head and back of the neck with fulvous, and with many feathers on other upper-parts edged with the same color and ashy-white; upper tail-coverts spotted with pure white. Under-parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, many feathers having oblong and lanceolate longitudinal stripes and spots of brown; a stripe of brown on each side of the neck from the base of the under mandible. Tail brown, with several bands of a darker shade of the same and of white on the inner webs of the feathers and narrowly tipped with white.
Dimensions. Female—total length, 17 to 18 inches; wing, 11; tail, 6½ to 7 inches. Male—smaller.
Hab. Eastern North America; Florida (Abadie); Long Island (Giraud); Wisconsin (Hoy). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This handsome little species is of rather unusual occurrence in the middle and southern States, though according to Dr. Hoy it is abundant in Wisconsin. It is an easily recognized species, though presenting considerable variations in color, according to age and season.
The names Falco pennsylvanicus and Falco latissimus occur in different copies of the sixth volume of the original edition of Wilson (1812), and the probability is that the latter was substituted by the author, in the later printed copies, after he had noticed that he had previously applied the name pennsylvanicus to another species. Of the last three volumes only second editions were published under the editorship of Mr. Ord; the seventh and eighth in 1824, and the ninth in 1825. The statement in Hall’s edition, I. p. 92 (Philadelphia, 1828), that the name latissimus was given by Mr. Ord, is therefore incorrect. That gentleman, now President of the Philadelphia Academy, and of whose advice and instruction we have the great advantage and gratification, informs us that he had nothing to do with either of the names to which we here allude.
6. Buteo Harlani. (Aud.) Harlan’s Buzzard. The Black Warrior. Falco Harlani. Audubon, Orn. Biog., I. p. 441. (1831. Plate pub. 1830) “Buteo borealis.” Gray, Catalogue of Birds in British Museum, Accipitres, p. 34. Buteo albonotatus. Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus., Accipitres, p. 36; Kaup, Isis, 1847, pp. 329, 369?
Aud., B. of Am., pl. 86, oct. ed. I. pl. 8.
“Head very large; neck short; body robust. Feet of ordinary length; tarsus a little compressed, scutellate before and behind, reticularly scaly on the sides; toes scutellate above, scaly on the sides, tubercular and scabrous beneath; claws curved, roundish, very acute. Plumage compact; feathers of the head and neck short and rounded; tibial feathers elongated, and loose at the tips. Wings long; first quill short, third and fifth equal; first primaries cut out on the inner web towards the end. Tail longish, ample, of twelve broad, rounded feathers. Bill light-blue, black towards the end; cere and angles of the mouth yellowish-green. Iris light yellowish-brown. Feet dull greenish yellow; claws black.
“The general color of the plumage is deep chocolate-brown; the under-parts lighter, the feathers there being margined with light-brown. Tail lighter than the back, and rather narrowly barred with brownish-black, the tips brownish-red. Under wing-coverts whitish, spotted with deep-brown. Length, 21 inches; extent of wings, 45; bill, along the back, 1½; along the gap, from the tip of the lower mandible, 1½; tarsus, 1¾.” (Aud., as above.)
Adult? Brownish-black, with a purplish lustre; occipital feathers white at base, and a few white feathers in front at the base of the bill. Under wing-coverts black, with circular spots and irregular bars of white. Quills white on their inner webs for about two-thirds of their length, and transversely barred with pale ashy-brown. Tail above brownish black, tinged with ashy, and with about six to eight bars of black, the widest of which is next to the tip, which is white. Inner webs of the tail-feathers, except the two in the middle, white, mottled with ashy, and with the transverse bars conspicuous; tail beneath ashy-white. Plumage of the back and entire under-parts of the body white at base, and having concealed pairs of circular and oval spots of white most obvious on the abdomen and under tail-coverts. Bill and legs light-colored.
Dimensions. Total length (of skin), 20 inches; wing, 16½; tail, 9½ inches.
Hab. Louisiana (Audubon); Mexico? Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. The only bird that we have ever seen which appeared to be this species is that described above as probably the adult. It is one of two or three species of black Buzzards which inhabit Mexico and Central America, and we suspect it of being identical with B. albonotatus (Gray, as above), though of that species there is no sufficient description published.
7. Buteo insignatus. Cassin. New species. (March, 1854.) The Canada Buzzard.
Form robust; wings rather long, third quill longest, secondaries emarginate at their tips; quills unusually broad; tail rather short, slightly rounded; tarsi feathered in front below the joint, naked behind, and having in front about ten transverse scales. Under wing-coverts and under tail-coverts white, the former striped longitudinally with pale-ferruginous, and some of them transversely with dark-brown, the latter with transverse stripes of pale reddish-brown. Plumage of the tibiæ dark-ferruginous mixed with brown. Throat and a few feathers in front white, with narrow lines of black. Entire other plumage above and below dark-brown, nearly every feather having a darker or nearly black line on its shaft. Quills above brown, with a purple lustre, beneath pale-ashy, with their shafts white, and irregularly barred with white near their bases. Tail above dark-brown, with an ashy or hoary tinge, and having about ten obscure bands of a darker shade of the same color, beneath nearly white, with conspicuous bands of brown, the widest of which is next to the tip, which is paler. Tarsi and feet yellow. Sex unknown.
Dimensions. Total length (of skin), 17 inches; wing, 14½; tail, 7½ inches.
Hab. Canada (Dr. M’Culloch). Spec. in Mus. Nat. Hist. Soc. of Montreal, Canada.
Obs. Of this very remarkable little Buzzard one specimen only has come under our notice, and is that above described. It belongs to the collection of the Natural History Society of Montreal, by whom it was most kindly sent to Philadelphia for examination at our request, through the good offices of M. M’Culloch, M. D., a distinguished physician and naturalist of that city.
In color, though a true Buteo, this bird differs from any known American species, and more resembles in that respect some stages of the young plumage of Circus hudsonius or C. æruginosus. It was captured in the vicinity of Montreal.
II. GENUS ARCHIBUTEO. Brehm, Isis, 1828, p. 1269.
TRIORCHIS. Kaup, Syst. Eur. Thier., p. 84. (1829.)
BUTAETES. Less., Traité, p. 83. (1831.)
General characters very similar to those of Buteo, but with the tarsus densely feathered to the base of the toes, but more or less naked on the hind part. Toes short; claws moderate; wings rather long. Contains about six species, of both continents.
1. Archibuteo sancti-johannis. (Gmelin.) The Black Hawk. The Rough-legged Buzzard. Falco sancti-johannis and NOVÆ-TERRÆ. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. pp. 273, 274. (1788.) Falco niger. Wils., Am. Orn., VI. p. 82. (1812.) Buteo ater. Vieill., Nouv. Dict., IV. p. 482. (1816.) Falco spadiceus. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 273?
Wilson, Am. Orn., VI. pl. 53, figs. 1, 2; Faun. Bor. Am., Birds, pl. 28; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 422, oct. ed. I. pl. 11.
Large, and rather heavy; wings long; tarsi feathered, a narrow space naked behind; toes naked, and rather short. Adult. Entire plumage glossy black, in many specimens with a brown tinge; forehead, throat, and a large space on the head behind, mixed with white. Tail with one well-defined band of white, and irregularly marked towards the base with the same color. Quills with their inner webs white, most readily seen on the under-surface of the wing. Some specimens have several well-defined bands of white in the tail. Others have the entire plumage dark chocolate-brown, with the head more or less striped with yellowish-white and reddish-yellow. Cere and legs yellow.
Younger. Upper-parts light umber-brown, with the feathers more or less edged with yellowish-white and reddish-yellow; abdomen with a broad transverse band of brownish-black; other under-parts pale yellowish-white, longitudinally striped on the neck and breast with brownish-black; wings and tail brown, tinged with cinereous; quills for the greater part of their length white on their inner webs; tail-feathers white at their bases. Plumage of the tibiæ and tarsi pale reddish-yellow, spotted with brown. Other specimens have the throat and breast with the black color predominating.
Young male? Entire upper-parts light ashy-brown, more or less mixed with white, especially on the head and fulvous; under-parts yellowish white and dark-brown, the latter assuming the form of longitudinal stripes on the breast, and narrow transverse stripes on the abdomen; tarsi and tibiæ dark-brown, striped with dull-white and reddish; greater part of quills and tail white. Cere and legs yellow.
Dimensions. Total length, female, 22 to 24 inches; wing, 17 to 17½; tail, 9 inches. Male—total length, about 20 to 21 inches; wing, 16 to 16½; tail, 8 to 8½ inches.
Hab. Entire North America; Oregon (Townsend). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This is one of the most abundant of the birds of this family, in all the States on the Atlantic, and is one of the most variable in plumage. Two stages of plumage—the adult black bird and the young, when the wide abdominal band of black is well defined—are easily recognized; but there are a variety of other plumages which are difficult to refer to their proper age, sex, or season. Although the stage of plumage described above as perhaps that of the young male (figured by Wilson, pl. 53, fig. 2, and Aud., pl. 422, fig. 2) may be correct, we regard it as by no means established, and in fact are inclined to suspect that there are two distinct species confounded.
2. Archibuteo lagopus. (Gm.) The Rough-legged Buzzard. Falco lagopus. Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I. p. 260. (1788.)
Wils., Am. Orn., IV. pl. 33, fig. 1; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 166; Gould, B. of Eur., I. pl. 15.
Very similar in general form to the preceding. Above light umber-brown; many feathers, especially of the head and neck behind, edged with yellowish white and fulvous. A wide transverse band or belt on the abdomen brownish-black; other under-parts yellowish-white, with a few longitudinal lines and spots of brownish-black; quills ashy-brown, with a large basal portion of their inner webs white; tail at its base white, which is also the color of the greater part of the inner webs of its feathers almost to the tip; terminal portion light umber-brown; tip white. Plumage of the tibiæ and tarsi pale reddish-yellow, striped longitudinally with brown.
Dimensions. Female—total length, 21 to 23 inches; wing, 16 to 17; tail, 9 inches. Male—smaller.
Hab. All of North America; Europe; California (Mr. Bell); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. The bird here inserted as identical with the European Archibuteo lagopus has been usually regarded, by late naturalists, as the young of the species immediately preceding. Such may be the truth of the case, and our only reason for giving it thus is, that after careful comparison and examination of numerous specimens, we find it absolutely impossible to distinguish it, by any character whatever, from the European bird. Whether two birds can be exactly the same in all their characters, so far as presented by specimens, and yet be distinct in species, is a question that we are not prepared at present practically to decide. We regard it as quite possible, however, that the present may be the young of A. sancti-johannis. It is one of the most common species of its family. Mr. Bell’s specimens from California are, so far as we can see, exactly the same as the European bird, differing from eastern specimens only in very unimportant characters.
3. Archibuteo ferrugineus. (Licht.) The Western Rough-legged Buzzard, Buteo ferrugineus. Lichtenstein, Trans. Berlin Acad., 1838, p. 428. Archibuteo regalis. Gray, Genera of Birds. I. pl. 6. (1849, plate only.)
Larger than either of the two preceding. Bill wide at base; wings long; tarsi feathered in front to the toes, naked and scaled behind. Adult. Tibiæ and tarsi bright ferruginous, with transverse stripes of black, irregular and indistinct on the latter. Entire upper-parts striped longitudinally with dark-brown and light-rufous, the latter color predominating on the rump and lesser wing-coverts. Quills ashy-brown, lighter on their outer webs, and with the greater part of their inner webs white; tail above reddish-white, mottled with ashy-brown; tail beneath pure yellowish-white. Under-parts of the body white, with narrow longitudinal lines and dashes on the breast of reddish-brown and narrow irregular transverse lines of the same color, and black on the abdomen; flanks and axillary feathers (under the wing) fine bright-ferruginous.
Young. Entire upper-parts dark umber-brown, very slightly mixed with fulvous; upper tail-coverts white, spotted with brown; entire under-parts pure white, with a few narrow longitudinal lines and dashes of brown on the breast, and arrow-heads of the same color on the sides and abdomen, larger and more numerous on the flanks; tibiæ white; tarsi dark-brown, mixed with white; under wing-coverts and edges of wings white.
Dimensions. Female—total length, about 23 to 25 inches; wing, 17 to 17½; tail, 9 inches. Young—smaller.
Hab. California (Mr. E. M. Kern); Sacramento valley (Dr. Heermann). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.
Obs. This is one of the handsomest of the American Falconidæ. It is also one of the largest of the Buzzards, and easily distinguished from the preceding species. Of the recent American travellers, Mr. E. M. Kern was the first who brought home this fine species; since which adults, young birds, and eggs, have been collected by Dr. Heermann. It is not rare in California.