A Synopsis of the Birds of North America. John James Audubon
CXVII. Male and Female.
Head, secondary quills, and lower parts light ash-grey; back and wing coverts dark leaden-grey; primaries black, margined externally with deep red; tail bluish-black; scutella dark purplish-red.
Male, 14, 36. Female, 15.
From Texas, where it is abundant, to North Carolina; up the Mississippi to Natchez. Migratory.
Mississippi Kite, Falco Mississippiensis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iii. p. 80.
Falco plumbeus, Bonap. Syn. p. 90.
Mississippi Kite, Falco plumbeus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 108, v. v. p. 374.
GENUS VIII. NAUCLERUS, Vig. SWALLOW-TAILED-HAWK
Bill short, wide at the base, much compressed toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line decurved from the base, the sides slightly convex, the edges with a slight festoon, the tip narrow and acute; lower mandible with the angle very wide, the dorsal line straightish, the tip rounded and declinate. Nostrils round, with a central papilla. Head rather large, roundish, flattened; neck short; body compact. Feet short; tarsus very short, thick, scaly all round; toes scutellate above, scabrous beneath, with pointed papillæ; claws rather long, curved, acuminate. Plumage blended, glossy. Wings extremely long, pointed, the third quill longest; secondaries short. Tail extremely long, very deeply forked.
18. 1. Nauclerus furcatus, Linn. Common Swallow-tailed Hawk
Plate LXXII. Male.
Head, neck all round, and lower parts white; back, wings, and tail black, glossed with blue and purple; feet light blue, tinged with green; claws flesh-coloured.
Male, 22, 47. Female, 25, 511/2.
From Texas to North Carolina. Rather abundant. Up the Mississippi and Ohio to Louisville. Accidental in Pennsylvania. Migratory.
Swallow-tailed Hawk, Falco furcatus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 70.
Falco furcatus, Bonap. Syn. p. 31.
Swallow-tailed Hawk, Falco furcatus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 368. v. v. p. 371.
GENUS IX. FALCO, Linn. FALCON
Bill short, robust; its upper outline decurved from the base; cere short, bare; edge of upper mandible with a festoon and a prominent angular process. Nostrils round, with an internal ridge, ending in a central tubercle. Feet strong; tarsi moderate, reticulate; toes long, broadly scutellate, the anterior webbed at the base; claws long, well curved, very acute. Wings long, pointed; second quill longest, first and third nearly equal; outer toe abruptly cut out on the inner web. Tail rather long, nearly even.
19. 1. Falco Islandicus, Lath. Iceland or Jer Falcon – Gyr Falcon. Labrador Falcon
Plate CCCLXVI. Adult Female. Plate CXCVI. Young Male and Female.
Tooth-like process of the bill generally obsolete in old, festoon slight in young birds; tail from three to four inches longer than the wings. Adult white, with slate-grey sagittate spots above, the bill pale blue, the cere and feet yellow. Younger birds light grey, the feathers white on the edges; the bill and cere light blue, the feet greyish-blue. Young brownish-grey above, the feathers margined and spotted with reddish-white, the lower parts yellowish-white, longitudinally streaked with dusky.
Male, 221/2, 49. Female, 231/2, 511/4.
Breeds in the extreme north, and in Labrador. In winter, migrates southward as far as Maine.
Falco Islandicus, Jer Falcon, Rich. & Swains. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 27.
Gyr Falcon, Falco Islandicus, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 51.
Iceland or Jer Falcon, Falco Islandicus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 466. Adult Female.
Iceland or Jer Falcon, Falco Islandicus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 552. Young Male and Female.
20. 2. Falco peregrinus, Gmel. Peregrine Falcon. – Large-footed Hawk. Duck Hawk. Wandering Falcon
Plate XVI. Adult Male and Female.
Wings, when closed, of nearly the same length as the tail. Adult male with the upper parts greyish-black, excepting the head and hind neck barred with light greyish-blue, lower parts white, the breast and sides transversely spotted with black. Female with the upper parts darker than those of the male, the lower yellowish or reddish-white, with larger dusky spots on the breast and sides, and oblong streaks on the neck. Young blackish-brown above, the breast of the male yellowish-white, of the female pale yellowish-red, with broad longitudinal dusky streaks. In all stages, a large mystachial patch, black in adult, brown in young birds.
Male, 161/2, 30. Female, 191/2, 36.
Breeds in the northern parts, visiting the southern and western in winter as far as Texas.
Great-footed Hawk, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ix. p. 120.
Falco peregrinus, Bonap. Synops. p. 27.
Common or Wandering Falcon, Falco peregrinus, Nuttall, Man. v. i. p. 53.
Great-footed Hawk, Falco peregrinus, Aud. Amer. Orn. v. i. p. 85; v. v. p. 365.
Falco peregrinus, Peregrine Falcon, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 23.
21. 3. Falco columbarius, Linn. Pigeon Falcon. – Pigeon Hawk
Plate LXXV. Young Male and Female. Plate XCII. Adult Male.
Wings from two to three inches shorter than the tail, on the middle feathers of which are five, on the lateral six broad whitish bands. Adult male with the cere greenish-yellow, the feet pale orange, the upper parts light bluish-grey, each feather with a black central line; lower parts reddish or yellowish white, the breast and sides with large oblong brown spots; tibial feathers light red, streaked with blackish-brown. Female with the cere and legs greenish-yellow, the upper parts dark greyish-brown, the lower pale red, spotted as in the male. Young with the head light reddish-brown, streaked with dusky, the upper parts brownish-grey, the feathers margined and spotted with pale red, throat white, lower parts pale red, streaked with brown. The tail-bands vary from pale red to white.
This species is so nearly allied to Falco Æsalon, that it is extremely difficult to distinguish many individuals. The number and form of the scutella differ; but the most certain distinctive character is found in the light-coloured bands of the tail, which are more numerous in the Merlin, there being seven on its middle, and nine on its lateral tail-feathers.
Male, 103/4, 27. Female, 14, 30.
From Texas northward. Breeds in the Labrador and Arctic regions. Abundant. Migratory.
Pigeon Hawk, Falco columbarius, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ii. p. 107.
Falco columbarius, Bonap. Syn. p. 38.
Pigeon Hawk, Falco columbarius, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 60.
Little Corporal Hawk, Falco temerarius, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 61. Adult Male.
Falco columbarius, Pigeon Hawk, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 35.
Falco Æsalon, Merlin, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 37.
Pigeon Hawk, Falco columbarius, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 466; Young, v. i. p. 381, Male; v. v. p. 368.
22. 4. Falco sparverius, Linn. Sparrow Falcon. – Sparrow Hawk
Plate CXLII. Male and Female.
Male with the upper part of the head and wing-coverts light greyish-blue, seven black spots round the head, and a light red patch on the crown; back light red, spotted with black; tail red, with a broad subterminal black band. Female with the head nearly as in the male, the back, wing-coverts, and tail, banded with light red and dusky. Young similar to the female, but with more red on the head, which is streaked with dusky.
Male, 12. Female, 12.
Generally distributed.