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Elanus

ELANUS.

Wing long and pointed; chin feathers thin and bristle-like, and over eye strong eyelashes; tarsus short, fl feathered; about Kestrel size, but like Harriers in habits; partly crepuscular ; food, chiefly small mammals and insects; nest on tree; eggs yellowish white, blotched and clouded with dark foxy red and blood red.

Elanus emruleus cwruleus (Desfontaines). BLACK WINGED KITE.

Above grey, lesser and median wing coverts black ; under parts and axillaries white. Bill black, yellow at base below. Cere, legs and feet yellow. Iris carmine. Wing 258-283. Tarsus 32-3.1.

Bill from core 16-19 (IL). Young: above grey brown, wing coverts black, quills and axillaries with white tips ; beneath white tinged rufous with dark brown shaft streaks. Iris grey brown.

Resident.—Spain and Portugal (rare), N.W. Africa, Egypt ; and through entire Africa and S. Asia as far as Burmah. Of exceptional occurrence in C. and W. Europe ; reported twice from Belgium and Germany and once from Ireland.

black