BUTEO.
Eagle-like, with long wings but short partly bare tarsus ; nostrils longish; first 4 primaries markedly emarginate, 5th less so (in Eagles first 5 are strongly emarginate, Gth slightly); of heavy flight, rarely taking prey on wing ; food, reptiles, small mammals, etc. ; nest of sticks in trees or rocks; eggs white tinged pale bluish more or less spotted or blotched with pale violet grey and deep reddish brown or rufous.
Buteo buteo buteo (L.). BUZZARD. Fr. Buse ; Ger.
Mausebussard ; Nana ; usvag.
6 9 Above brown with generally a few rufous marks ; tail barred (at all ages) with grey, sometimes white with rufous tinge ; beneath dark brown, mottled and barred with buff or white ; under tail coverts white with brown bands, but often not barred ; in some adults underparts are white or creamy streaked with long dark spots (this is also a sign of youth) ; tarsus feathered to within 45 m.m. of toe-joints ; very variable in plumage ; bill is weaker than in " B. ferox" and tail is shorter. Bill horn black, bluish towards base. Cure, legs and feet yellow. Iris yellowish brown to yellowish white, in young brown. Wing d 375-40o, ? Tail 190-210. Tarsus 70-76. Bill 24-26.
Brecds.—Great Britain ; Continental Europe from about 65° to Mediterranean, west of a line from Baltic Provinces and Poland, Carpathians, and west of Balkan Peninsula. Chiefly resident. Rare in Egypt and Asia Minor ; occurs occasionally N.\V. Africa ; rare Ireland, recently exterminated there as a resident.
B. buteo arrigonii Picchi. Smaller than " buteo" ; plumage shows much rufous on upper parts and underparts are deep buff striped with long drop-like markings, flanks brown ; is closer to "zimmermann" but with much less red on tail. Wing (H.).
Resident—Sardinia and Corsica.
B. buteo insularum Floericke. Smaller than "buteo," and rarely shows any rufous margins to upper parts, even in young ; tail much redder than ever the case in "arrigonii." Wing S ? (H.).
Resident. —Canary Islands.
B. buteo zimmermannw Ehmcke. Adults generally have more rufous on upper parts than in "buteo," and also on under parts and tail, and under tail coverts are generally distinctly barred with red brown, approaching "B. b. vulpinus." Erecds.—N. and C. Russia, Baltic Provinces, E. Germany, Rumania, and E. Balkans. Partly migratory ; has occurred in E. Africa in winter. Many birds from this breeding range are indistinguishable from typical "buteo." B. buteo vulpinus Gloger. ("13uteo desertorum" of authors.) A very red form especially on underparts, which are uniform dark rufous or mottled with white ; tail very rufous but rarely losing altogether traces of barring as so often is the case in "B. ferox" ; under wing coverts and axillaries rufous ; in another phase, not apparently confined to youth, underparts are white with long red brown spots or streaks.
Breeds.—S.E. Russia from Volga to Caucasus and in W. Siberia to C. Asia ; Asia Minor. Occurs Egypt and Balkans on passage ; winters in C. and S. Africa and India ; rare in \V. Europe, once occurred England.
B. Lute() harterti Swami. Large, dark race, darker than "zimmermanme" ; underparts almost uniform dark to red brown ; abdomen barred in adults ; tail with lo-12 dark bars. Wing d 375, 9 412 (II.).
B. Lute° rothschildi Swann. Reddish brown ; tail light
grey with 7 to 9 bars, subterminal one being broad ; underparts uniform dark red brown ; ventral region may be barred and spotted buff. Wing d 340-360, 9 375-398 (H.).
Rcsiden f. —A zores.
Buteo lagopus lagopus (Brunnich). ROUGH-LLuGED Buzznuo. Fr. Buse panne ; Ger. Rauhfussbussard ; Ail. Pojana calzata ; Swed. Fjosbent Wrag.
4 Upper parts dark brown, crown and nape white striated, basal parts of inner webs of quills white ; tarsi feathered in front to toes ; tail white, apical third brown with greyish white tip ; chin and throat white streaked brown, upper breast dark brown mottled white, rest of underparts barred white and dark brown. Bill dark horn, bluish at base. Cere and toes yellow. Iris brown. Wing d 9 430-47o. Tarsus 7o-73. Bill 22-23. Young darker, breast streaked not barred, rest of underparts almost uniform dark brown.
Breeds.—Scandinavia, Lapland, Finland, N. Russia from about 69-50° N. south occasionally to about 56°, Baltic Provinces (rare). Partial migrant ; occurs British Isles in winter, and also Central Europe to Pyrenees and Alps, and S. Russia, rarely to Greece and other :Mediterranean countries.
Buteo ferox ferox (Gmelin). Has various phases of plumage.
(a) Above brown, with some rufous margins ; tail grey brown barred, inner webs of tail and quills white ; beneath creamy white with broad brown streaks, under wing coverts and axillaries white with red brown shaft streaks.
(b) Above darker brown, margins broader and more chestnut ; tail pale cinnamon not barred ; beneath chestnut with dark shaft lines, barred in some, mottled in others with black feathers, or altogether uniform chestnut ; under wing coverts and axillaries chestnut.
(c) There is also a melanistic form, all dark brown.
Inner webs of quills and tail in all phases grey or white ; com binations of plumages (a) and (b) also occur. Bill blackish horn. Cere and feet yellow. Iris brown to yellowish brown. Wing 8' ? 440-50o. Tarsus 83-86. Bill 30-33. Tail 230-270.
Breeds.—Greece, Asia Minor and Palestine, Steppes of S. Russia east of Don north to Orenburg and Caspian Steppes, also W. and C. Asia. Occurs on passage Rumania, Turkey, and Caucasus ; in winter in Egypt and N.E. Africa south to White and Blue Niles, also in India. Rare visitor to Central Europe.
B. ferox cirtensis (Levaillant). (a) Adult. Smallerand redder than "ferox" ; above brown with rufous margins ; tail and thighs uniform pale cinnamon, former sometimes with white on inner webs ; beneath varying from bully white to deep rufous with dark shaft lines, under wing coverts and axillaries rufous.
(b) Tail barred ; underparts white to creamy buff with broad dark streaks and sometimes a dark band across abdomen, under wing coverts and axillaries white, creamy or partly rufous. Wing 360-38o, 380-400. Tarsus 75-85. Tail 205-220 (H.).
Young in first plumage are much redder, almost chestnut throughout.
Breads.—N.W. Africa, Morocco to Tunis. Probably largely resident.
All races of "ferox" are distinguishable from those of "buteo" by their more powerful bills and feet.