Color Key to North American Birds Part 36

[Ill.u.s.tration: 325.]

=325. Turkey Vulture; Turkey Buzzard= (_Cathartes aura_). L. 30; T. 11. _Ads._ Head and neck _red_ unfeathered; brownish black; no white in plumage; bill whitish. _Notes._ A low hissing sound when disturbed.

Range--Western Hemisphere from central and northeast New Jersey, central Illinois, northern Minnesota, the Saskatchewan region and British Columbia, south to Patagonia; winters from southern New Jersey, southern Illinois and southern California southward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 326.]

=326. Black Vulture; Carrion Crow= (_Catharista urubu_). L. 24. T. 8.

_Ads._ Head and neck unfeathered, black, plumage black; _under surface of wings silvery_. _Notes._ A low grunting sound when disturbed.

Range.--Tropical America, north, as a resident to North Carolina, southern Illinois and southern Kansas; west to the Plains, south to northern South America, strays as far north as Maine and South Dakota.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 364.]

=364. American Osprey; Fish Hawk= (_Pandion haliaetus carolinensis_).

L. 23. Nape white; feet large; no bars on primaries. _Ad._ [Male].

Below white with few or no spots on breast. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar, but breast with numerous grayish brown spots and streaks. _Notes._ Loud, plaintive, whistles.

Range.--America; breeds from Florida, Texas and Lower California, north to Labrador, Great Slave Lake and northern Alaska; winters from South Carolina and Lower Mississippi Valley to northern South America.

Kites and Marsh Hawks

[Ill.u.s.tration: 327.]

=327. Swallow-tailed Kite= (_Elanoides forficatus_). L. 24. _Ads._ Back purplish black, wings and tail blue-black. _Notes._ A shrill, keen, _e-e-e_ or _we-we-we_. (Bendire.)

Range.--Middle America; summers north to Virginia, central Illinois, northern Minnesota, Manitoba and Dakota; west to central Kansas, rarely to Colorado; winters in Central and South America.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 328.]

=328. White-tailed Kite= (_Ela.n.u.s leucurus_). L. 15.5. _Ads._ Shoulders black; back and middle tail-feathers ashy gray; rest of tail-feathers, forehead and underparts white. _Yng._ Upperparts with rusty. _Notes._ A plaintive, musical whistle. (Barlow.)

Range.--Middle America north to South Carolina, southern Illinois, Indian Territory, western Texas, Arizona and central California; south to Argentine Republic; rare east of the the Mississippi.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 329.]

=329. Mississippi Kite= (_Ictinia mississippiensis_). L. 14. _Ads._ Head, ends of secondaries, and underparts bluish gray; back bluish slate; tail black without bars. _Yng._ Head streaked black and white; back blackish, tipped with rusty; tail with three or four broken white bars; underparts buffy, streaked with rusty and blackish.

Range.--Middle America; breeds north to South Carolina, southern Illinois and Kansas; winters in tropics.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 330.]

=330. Everglade Kite; Snail Hawk= (_Rostrhamus sociabilis_). L. 18.

Longer upper tail-coverts and base of tail white. _Ads._ Slaty black; end of tail with brownish and whitish bands. _Yng._ Above blackish brown tipped with rusty; below mottled rusty, blackish and buff.

Range.--Tropical America north to southern Florida and eastern Mexico; south to Argentine Republic.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 331.]

=331. Marsh Hawk; Harrier= (_Circus hudsonius_). L. [Male], 19; [Female], 22. Upper tail-coverts and base of tail white. _Ad._ [Male].

Above gray or ashy; underparts with rusty spots. _Ad._ [Female], and _Yng._ Above brownish black with more or less rusty, particularly on the nape; below brownish rusty with black streaks on breast. _Notes._ A peevish scream and peculiar clucking or cackling. (Preston.)

Range.--North America; breeds locally north to about lat.i.tude 60; winters from southern New York, northern Illinois, northern Kansas, Colorado and British Columbia south to Central America.

Hawks

[Ill.u.s.tration: 332.]

=332. Sharp-s.h.i.+nned Hawk= (_Accipiter velox_). L. [Male], 11.2; [Female], 13.5; T. [Male], 5.5; [Female], 7. Tail _square_ at end.

_Ads._ Above slaty gray; crown darker; below barred white and rusty brown. _Yng._ Above blackish brown lightly margined with rusty; below white streaked with brown. Note the relatively long tail in this and the two following species. _Notes._ _Cac-cac-cac._ (Ralph.)

Range.--North America; breeds throughout its range but chiefly northward; winters from Ma.s.sachusetts and Vancouver Island southward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 333.]

=333. Cooper Hawk= (_Accipiter cooperii_). L. [Male], 15.5; [Female], 19; T. [Male], 7.7; [Female], 9. Similar in color to No. 332, but tail _rounded_; adult with crown blacker. _Notes._ A cackling or chattering. (Bendire.)

Range.--North America; breeds from southern Mexico north to British America; winters from Ma.s.sachusetts, Lower Mississippi Valley and Oregon southward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 334.]

=334. American Goshawk= (_Accipiter atricapillus_). L. [Male], 22; [Female], 24; T. [Male], 10; [Female], 11.5. _Ads._ Above bluish slate; crown darker; a whitish line over the eye to the nape; below _finely_ marked with gray and white. _Yng._ Above blackish brown, rusty and buff; below buffy white streaked with blackish.

Range.--North America; breeds chiefly north of United States; winters south to New Jersey, rarely Virginia, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas; west to Oregon.

=334a. Western Goshawk= (_A. a. striatulus_). Similar to No. 334, but _Ad._ dark plumbeous above, markings on lower parts heavier and darker. Stripes on lower parts of _Yng._ broader and blacker. (Ridgw.) _Notes._ A shrill scream and a frequently repeated _keeah_ or _kreeah_. (Bendire.)

Range.--"Western North America; north to Sitka, Alaska; south to California; east to Idaho. Breeds in the Sierra Nevada south to lat.i.tude 38." (A.O.U.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 346.]

=346. Mexican Goshawk= (_Asturina plagiata_). L. 17. _Ads._ Above slaty gray; below barred slaty-gray and white. _Yng._ Above blackish brown with rusty markings, particularly on wing-coverts; longer upper tail-coverts white with black spots or bars; tail brownish with numerous black bars; below whitish with large elongate spots. _Notes._ A peculiar piping note uttered while hovering in the air. (Bendire.)

Range.--Middle America, from Panama north, in March, to Mexican border of United States.

Hawks

[Ill.u.s.tration: 335.]

=335. Harris Hawk= (_Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi_). L. [Male], 19; [Female], 22. Longer upper tail-coverts, base and tip of tail white.

_Ads._ Shoulders, thighs and under wing-coverts, reddish brown; under tail-coverts white. _Yng._ Similar but streaked below with rusty, buff and black; legs barred with white. _Notes._ A long, harsh, Buteo-like scream. (V. Bailey.)

Range.--Middle America from Panama north to southern Texas, rarely Mississippi and southern California.