Chapter 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.

IV. SUB-FAMILY MILVINÆ. THE KITES.

Size various, usually medium or small. Bill short, weak, hooked, and acute; wings and tail usually long; tarsi and feet slender, frequently short. The birds of this sub-family habitually feed on reptiles and other small animals, and are deficient in the strength and courage of those of the other sub-families. About thirty-five species of all countries belong to this group.