341. Eight specimens examined, including the types of Gould’s figures and descriptions in the Birds of Australia.
56
Falco aurantius, Gmel. (Rufous-bellied Falcon). Falco aurantius, Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 283, 1789.—Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 48, 1790, Gen. Hist. I, 289.—Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 130.—Shaw, Zoöl. VII, 194.—Steph. Zoöl. XIII, ii, 40.—Cuv. Reg. An. (ed. 2), I, 322.—Less. Tr. Orn. p. 91. Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 25.—Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 89, 1855. Hypotriorchis aurantius, Kaup, Ueb. Falk. Mus. Senck. p. 257, 1845. Bidens aurantius, Spix, Av. Bras. I, 17, 1824. Falco deiroleucus, Temm. Pl. Col. 348, 1836.—Less. Man. Orn. I, 79.—Gray, List B. Brit. Mus. 1844, p. 25; Gen. B. fol. sp. 12.—Bonap. Rev. Zool. 1850, 486. Falco rufigularis (not of Daudin!) Gray, List B. Brit. Mus. p. 54, 1844.
Sp. Char. Adult (♂, Costa Rica; Coll. G. N. Lawrence). Above bluish-plumbeous, the feathers darker centrally; anteriorly the black increases in extent, first leaving the plumbeous only as a border to the feathers, and then dropping it altogether, the head and nape being plain black; posteriorly the plumbeous predominates, and shows a tendency to form transverse bars. On the head and neck the black occupies the whole upper and lateral portions, reaching down to the throat, involving the whole of the cheeks and maxillæ, which it covers in an angular patch. Primaries and tail deep black; the former immaculate on their outer surface; the latter crossed by six (the last terminal) incomplete very narrow bands of pure white, formed by transverse bars, which touch neither the shaft nor edges of the feathers; upper tail-coverts crossed by about two bars of pure white. Immaculate area of the throat and jugulum deep rufous posteriorly and laterally, pure white anteriorly and centrally; from the jugulum to the tibiæ, and including the entire lining of the wing, continuous black, with transverse bars of white; tibiæ plain rufous; crissum mixed rufous and white,—the former predominating,—and thickly marked with large transverse spots of black; inner webs of primaries with transverse ovate spots of white, touching neither shaft nor edge of the feather; these number seven on the longest quill (second). Wing-formula, 2–1, 3–4. Wing, 9.90; tail, 5.50; tarsus, 1.55; middle toe, 1.75.
Juv. (♂, 51,293, Costa Rica, La Palma, August 25, 1867; José C. Zeledon). Whole upper surface black, deepest on the tail; it occupies the whole head (except the chin, throat, and sides of the neck), the black cheek-patch having considerable prominence; feathers everywhere (except on the head and neck) indistinctly bordered with light brownish, this becoming more distinct posteriorly; upper tail-coverts tipped and barred beneath the surface with pure white; secondaries, primaries, and primary coverts narrowly but sharply tipped with pure white; tail crossed with five very sharp bars of pure white, the last terminal, the first two concealed by the coverts; these transverse spots touch the shaft, but not the edge of the feather; on the lateral feather they are confined to the inner web. Chin, throat, neck, and breast, abdomen, crissum, and lower tail-coverts, deep orange (not chestnut) rufous; in fact, this forms the ground-color of the whole lower parts; but the sides, flanks, and abdomen have such large transverse spots of black (these exceeding the orange in amount), giving the prevailing color; the orange of the jugulum is sharply defined, with a semicircular outline, against the black of the belly, and has distinct lanceolate shaft-streaks of black; the lower part of the abdomen, and the tibiæ, have cordate or broadly sagittate black spots, rather exceeding the orange; the lower tail-coverts have broad transverse spots of black. (The orange is deepest on the jugulum and crissum, being palest where most thickly spotted; it is immaculate only on chin, throat, and neck; the markings are longitudinal only on the jugulum.) Lining of the wing like the belly, that is, the black predominating; under surface of primaries with transverse elliptical spots of pale cream-color, seven in number on the longest. Wing-formula, 2, 1–3. Wing, 9.90; tail, 5.40; culmen, .72; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, 1.75; outer toe, 1.20; inner, 1.00; posterior, .80.
List of Specimens examined.—National Museum, 1; G. N. Lawrence, 1; Boston Society, 2; Philadelphia Academy, 3. Total, 7.
Falco rufigularis, Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 131, 1800.—Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 88, 1855. Hypotriorchis rufigularis, Gray, Gen. B. fol. sp. 5, 1844; List B. Brit. Mus. p. 54, 1848; Hand List, I, 21, 1869.—Bonap. Consp. Av. (sub F. aurantius.).—Gray, Hand List, I, 21, 1869. Falco aurantius, β, Lath. Ind. Orn. I, 48, 1790. Falco aurantius, γ, Lath. Ind. Orn. I, 48, 1790. Falco aurantius, Temm. Pl. Col. sub. pl. cccxlviii, 1836.—Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 61, 1823.—Cass. B. N. Am. 1858, 10.—Elliot, Birds N. Am. pl. xi. Falco albigularis, Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 131, 1800. Falco hæmorrhoidalis, Hahn, Vög. XV, Lief. pl. i, 1818. Falco cucullatus, Swains. An. Menag. p. 340, 1838. Falco thoracicus, Donovan, Nat. Rep. pl. xlv, 1822.
Sp. Char. Adult (♂, 52,820, Mazatlan, Western Mexico; Col. A. J. Grayson). Above dark slate, with a bluish-plumbeous cast, and uniform over whole surface (wings included) from nape to tail. Anteriorly the tint is almost black, this covering continuously the whole upper and lateral portion of the head, reaching down to the throat, and forming a broad angular projection over the cheeks, which are purer black. All the feathers above darker centrally, but the obscure spots so formed mostly concealed; shafts of the feathers inconspicuously black; upper tail-coverts each with two broad transverse spots of black. Secondaries, primary coverts, and primaries uniform dull black; the former, and inner feathers of the latter, very narrowly ashy-whitish on terminal border,—the coverts with a bluish shade terminally. Tail black (dull light brown at apical margin), crossed with about six obsolete narrow bands of plumbeous, these changing to narrower white bars on the inner webs. Chin, base of maxillæ, throat, sides of the neck, and jugulum, ochraceous-white, the ochraceous tinge deepest posteriorly; breast (broadly across) and sides black, with numerous narrow transverse bars of reddish-white, becoming more ashy posteriorly; abdomen, anal region, tibiæ, femorals, and lower tail-coverts uniform deep, almost castaneous, rufous. Lining of the wing dull black, with circular ochraceous-white spots, but former predominating; whole under surface of primaries and secondaries a similar blackish-dusky, the former with narrow transverse elliptical spots of white, of which there are eight (the first and last merely indicated) on the longest quill. Wing-formula, 2–1–3. Wing, 7.70; tail, 3.95; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, 1.20. Tail slightly emarginated; second and third feathers longest (counting from exterior).
♀ (5,218, Mazatlan; Colonel Grayson). Almost precisely similar to the male; less contrast between blackish-plumbeous of the nape, and more bluish of the back; bands on tail five in number; bars on black beneath more reddish. Wing-formula same. Wing, 8.80; tail, 4.40; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, 1.30.
Juv. (Bryant Coll. 1,531, Orizaba, Mex.). Above continuous dull black, without bluish cast or concealed spots; tail-bands narrower, purer white; black beneath duller, transverse bars more obsolete, broader, and pale rusty; chestnut-rufous of posterior lower portions lighter and less uniform; lower tail-coverts with broad transverse spots of plumbeous-black. Wing-formula as in adult. Wing, 8.75; tail, 4.40.
Two young males from Tehuantepec, Mexico (Nos. 613 and 613, May 16, 1871; F. Sumichrast), differ from that described above in some remarkable respects: the upper parts are in one black, but without the rusty margins to the feathers; in the other, almost exactly as in the adult plumage described. The lower parts, however, are most different; the throat and jugular are uniform deep soft ochraceous, with a few longitudinal streaks of black near the black abdominal patch; the bars in this last are deep rufous, and the terminal band of the tail is also deep rufous. The weak bill, and soft, blended character of the plumage, indicate unmistakably the very young age of these specimens, which are also marked “very young” by M. Sumichrast.
In colors, as well as in size and form, this very handsome little Falcon closely resembles the F. severus, Horsf., of Manilla and the neighboring East Indian Islands; the main difference is that in that species the lower surface is wholly deep rufous, instead of partly black.
List of Specimens examined.—National Museum, 11; Boston Society, 6; Philadelphia Academy, 7; New York Museum, 3; G. N. Lawrence, 3; R. Ridgway, 2. Total, 32.
