A Synopsis of the Birds of North America. John James Audubon

      Published by Good Press, 2019

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      EAN 4064066235451

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      Male, 16, 38. Female, 19.

      From Maryland to Nova Scotia. Rare in the interior.

      Broad-winged Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. vi. p. 92.

      Falco Pennsylvanicus, Bonap. Syn. p. 29.

      Broad-winged Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 105.

      Broad-winged Hawk, Falco Pennsylvanicus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 461, v. v. p. 377.

      11. 7. Buteo lagopus, Vigors. Rough-legged Buzzard.

      Plate CCCCXXII. Fig. 1. Old Male. Fig. 2. Young, first winter.

      Plate CLXVI. Male. Middle age.

      Tarsi feathered in their whole length. Adult male with the general colour of the plumage blackish-brown; the forehead and a large patch on the hind neck white, streaked with blackish-brown; all the feathers of the back, the scapulars, the wing-coverts, the quills, and the tail-feathers, white toward the base, and more or less barred with whitish-grey, or brown; axillar feathers, some of those on the sides, and some of the tibial feathers, with the lower tail-coverts similarly marked; the white forming a conspicuous patch on the under surface of the wing, occupying the greater part of the primaries as well as part of the inner webs of the secondaries; tail brownish-black, barred with greyish-white, there being six black bands on the middle feathers, the last very broad. Female of a uniform dark chocolate-brown, the tail banded, and the same parts white as in the male. Young with the head and neck streaked with umber-brown, and yellowish-white; back umber-brown, variegated with light reddish-brown and yellowish-white; quills dark brown towards the end, the outer webs of the first tinged with grey, the base of all white, that colour extending farther on the secondaries, of most of which, and of some of the primaries, the inner web is irregularly barred with brown; tail white at the base, brown toward the end, with a broad subterminal bar of brownish-black, the tips brownish-white; middle and hind part of the breast, with the sides, brownish-black, the rest of the lower parts pale yellowish-red, streaked or barred with dusky.

      Male, 21¹/₂, 51¹/₂. Female, 23.

      From Maryland northward. Columbia River. Not met with in the interior. Migratory. Not very abundant.

      Black Hawk, Falco niger, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 82. Adult.

      Falco lagopus, Bonap. Syn. p. 32. Young.

      Falco Sanci-Johannis, Bonap. Syn. p. 32. Adult.

      Buteo lagopus, Rough-legged Buzzard, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 52.

      Rough-legged Falcon, Falco lagopus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 59, Young; v. v. p. 216, Adult and Young.

      GENUS III. AQUILA, Briss. EAGLE.

      Bill rather short, deep, compressed; upper mandible with the dorsal outline nearly straight and sloping at the base, beyond the cere decurved, the sides sloping and slightly convex, the edges nearly straight, with a slight convexity and a shallow sinus close to the strong subtrigonal tip; lower mandible with the dorsal outline convex, the tip obliquely truncate. Head large, roundish, flattened above. Nostrils oval, oblique, nearer the ridge than the margin. Neck rather short. Body very large. Feet rather short, very robust; tarsi roundish, feathered to the toes; which are rather short, united at the base by short webs, covered above with a series of angular scales, and towards the end with a few large scutella; claws long, curved, rounded, flat beneath, acuminate. Plumage compact, imbricated, glossy; feathers of the head and neck narrow and pointed; space between the bill and eye covered with small bristle-pointed feathers disposed in a radiating manner. Wings long, the fourth quill longest; the first short; the outer six abruptly cut out on the inner web. Tail rather long, ample, rounded.

      12. 1. Aquila Chrysaetos, Linn. Golden Eagle.

      Plate CLXXXI. Female.

      General colour of the plumage dark brown glossed with purple; occiput, hind part and sides of the neck, light brownish-yellow; wing-coverts light brown; primary quills brownish-black, secondary with the coverts brown, those next the body more or less mottled with brownish-white, excepting at the ends; tail dark brown, lighter towards the base, with a few irregular whitish markings; feathers of the legs and tarsi, and lower tail-coverts, light yellowish-brown. Young with the basal three-fourths of the tail white.

      Male, 32, 70. Female, 38, 84.

      From Pennsylvania northward. Never seen far in the interior. Resident.

      Falco fulvus, Bonap. Syn. p. 25.

      Aquila Chrysaetos, Golden Eagle, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 12.

      Ring-tailed Eagle, Falco fulvus, Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. vii. p. 13.

      Royal or Golden Eagle, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 62.

      Golden Eagle, Falco Chrysaetos, Aud. Ornith. Biog. v. ii. p. 464.

      GENUS IV. HALIAETUS, Savigny. SEA-EAGLE.

      Bill rather short, very deep, compressed; upper mandible with the dorsal outline nearly straight at the base, beyond the cere decurved, the sides sloping, the edges nearly straight, with a slight obtuse process, and a shallow sinus close to the strong trigonal tip; lower mandible, with the dorsal outline slightly convex, the tip obliquely truncate. Head large, oblong, flattened above. Nostrils oblong, oblique, near the ridge. Neck of moderate length. Body very large. Feet rather short, very robust; tarsi roundish, covered anteriorly with the transverse scutella, posteriorly with large, laterally with small scales; toes robust, free, scutellate above; claws large, curved, rounded, flat beneath, acuminate. Plumage compact, imbricated; feathers of the head and neck narrow and pointed; space between the bill and eye barish, being sparsely covered with bristle-like feathers, disposed in a radiating manner. Wings long, the second and third quills longest, the outer five cut out abruptly on the inner web. Tail rather long, rounded. Duodenum convoluted.

      13. 1. Haliaetus Washingtoni, Aud. Washington Sea-Eagle.

      Plate XI. Male.

      Tarsus and toes uniformly scutellate in their whole length. Bill bluish-black, cere yellowish-brown, feet orange-yellow, claws bluish-black. Upper part of the head, hind neck, back, scapulars, rump, tail-coverts, and posterior tibial feathers blackish-brown, glossed with a coppery tint; throat, fore-neck, breast, and belly light brownish-yellow, each feather with a central blackish-brown streak; wing-coverts light greyish-brown, those next the body becoming darker; primary quills dark brown, deeper on their inner webs; secondaries lighter, and on their outer webs of nearly the same light tint as their coverts; tail uniform dark brown.

      Male, 43, 122.

      From Louisiana northward. Exceedingly rare. The specimen figured procured in Kentucky. One seen in Labrador.

      Bird of Washington, Falco Washingtonii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 58.

      14. 2. Haliaetus leucocephalus, Linn. White-headed Sea-Eagle.—Bald Eagle.

      Plate XXXI. Adult Male. Plate CXXVI. Young.