A History of North American Birds, Land Birds. Volume 3

In colors, as well as in size and form, this very handsome little Falcon closely resembles the F. severus, Horsf., of Manilla and the neighboring East Indian Islands; the main difference is that in that species the lower surface is wholly deep rufous, instead of partly black.

List of Specimens examined.—National Museum, 11; Boston Society, 6; Philadelphia Academy, 7; New York Museum, 3; G. N. Lawrence, 3; R. Ridgway, 2. Total, 32.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 7.20–8.80; tail, 4.20–5.10; culmen, .45–.55; tarsus, 1.25–1.50; middle toe, 1.15–1.30. Specimens, 13. ♀. Wing, 8.50–9.00; tail, 5.00–5.50; culmen, .58; tarsus, 1.48–1.55; middle toe, 1.30–1.40. Specimens, 8.

Hab. Tropical America, northward through Central America and Mexico almost to southern border of United States.

Localities: Veragua, Scl. & Salv. 1869, 252.

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Falco (Æsalon) lithofalco, var. lithofalco (Gmelin). Accipiter lithofalco, Briss. Orn. I, 1760, 349. Falco lithofalco, Gmel. S. N. 1789, 278. Æsalon lithofalco, Kaup. Ueb. Falk. Mus. Senck. 258. Falco regulus, Gmel. S. N. 1798, 285. Accipiter æsalon, Briss. Orn. I, 1760, 382. Falco æsalon, Gmelin, S. N. 1789, 284.—Yarrell, Hist. Brit. B., ed. 1871, 74. Hypotriorchis æsalon, Gray, Gen. 1844, Sp. 10. Falco intermixtus, Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 1800, 141. Falco emerillus, Savigny, Descr. Egypt, Pt. I, 1809, 100. Falco sibiricus, Shaw, Zoöl. VII, 1812, 207. Falco cæsius, Meyer, Tasch. deutsch. Vög. I, 1810. Falco subæsalon, Brehm, Vög. Deutsch. I, 1831, 67.

Hab. Europe and Western Asia; Iceland.

List of Specimens examined.—National Museum, 8; Boston Society, 4; Cambridge Museum, 3; New York Museum, 2; Philadelphia Academy, 3. Total, 20.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 7.60–8.00; tail, 5.10–5.30; culmen, .45–.50; tarsus, 1.35–1.45; middle toe, 1.15: specimens, 10. ♀. Wing, 8.60–9.00; tail, 6.00–6.30; culmen, .52–.55; tarsus, 1.45–1.47; middle toe, 1.20–1.25: specimens, 10.

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Proceedings Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, Dec., 1870, pp. 147–149.

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See London Ibis.

61

A synopsis of the geographical races of T. sparverius comes after the remarks on that species, page 1486.

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Falco (Tinnunculus) leucophrys. Tinnunculus sparveroides (not of Vigors!), Lawrence, Ann. Lyc. N. Y. 1860, p. 1 (in part; light individuals). Falco sparverius (not of Linn.!), D’Orb. R. Sagra, Hist. Nat. Cuba, p. 25 (probably). Vig. Zoöl. Journ. I, 339; III, 435. Tinnunculus leucophrys, Ridgway, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1870, 147. Hab. Cuba and Hayti.

Adult ♂ (34,244, Remedios, Cuba, December 14, 1863; N. H. Bishop). Head above pure, fine bluish-ash, becoming (broadly) white on forehead; the feathers with delicate shaft-lines of black. Nape, back, scapulars, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail rich purplish-rufous (almost exactly as in sparverius); no bars on dorsal region, except a very few across ends of larger posterior scapulars. Terminal band of tail light rufous, .30 in width; subterminal zone of black, very regular, .55 in width; lateral feather, with outer web and end of inner, reddish-white, the black subterminal band crossing the inner web only; inner web anterior to this, continuous rufous; shafts of tail-feathers rufous. Wings fine bluish-ash, like the crown; middle and lower coverts with a very few elliptical, longitudinal specks or touches of black on the shafts; secondaries passing terminally into white, their exposed basal half pure black; primaries pure black, exposed edges of inner webs paler. Whole under surface of wings immaculate pure white, with a faint delicate reddish tinge; inner webs of primaries serrated along the shaft with dusky. Forehead and superciliary stripe (broadly and sharply defined against the bluish of the crown), whole side of the head (including lores and ear-coverts), and entire lower parts, continuous, immaculate, pure white, with a delicate orange tinge, except anteriorly. The “mustache” is but just indicated by some blackish touches, and in some individuals it is wanting entirely, while in all it is very restricted in width; the other black markings of the head are, however, as in sparverius. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4, 1. Wing, 7.00; tail, 5.00; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, .90; culmen, .46. A specimen in Mr. Lawrence’s collection, which with others he has kindly lent me for examination, is in beautifully high plumage. It differs from the type in having the white of the lower parts tinged, or rather stained, with a beautiful, delicate rufous, or almost a salmon-orange. The terminal band of the tail also inclines decidedly to this color, while the white of the under surface of the wing (particularly towards ends of secondaries and primaries) is tinged with a more pinkish shade of the same. Another of Mr. Lawrence’s specimens differs in the clearer white beneath (that is, with less reddish tinge,—the pureness and continuity does not vary), which extends entirely around the neck, giving a sharper definition to the black pattern. The “mustache,” however, is almost entirely absent; the black transverse spots on larger posterior scapulars are rather more conspicuous, and the terminal band of the tail is more purely white.

♀ (31,984, Cuba, J. Ackhurst). Generally similar to sparverius, but rufous brighter, the bars narrower and less numerous; the nape or upper part of back, and rump, being almost immaculate. Tail with ten black bars, these scarcely touching the shaft; the last is about .36 wide, the others about .16; tip of tail scarcely paler than base; lateral feather with outer web edged broadly with paler or ochraceous white, rufous next the shaft, immaculate; inner web with only three or four very narrow bars on terminal half. Head as in the male, but vertex considerably tinged with rufous. Whole lower parts, including frontal and lateral regions of the head, continuous pure white; breast with a very faint yellowish tinge; side of the breast and sides with a few scattered minute elliptical longitudinal flakes of rusty,—more black on the shaft. Whole under surface of the wing white, as in the male. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4, 1. Wing, 7.00; tail, 4.70; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, .90; culmen, .51. A Cuban female belonging to Mr. Lawrence is exactly similar. One in the S. I. Collection, from Hayti (42,420, Port au Prince, June 5, 1860; A. C. Younglove), differs only in less purely black bars, and in utter absence of the mustache. A male from the same locality (43,418) is like it in the last respect.

Juv. ♀ (34,235, Remedios, Cuba, December, 1864; N. H. Bishop). Similar to the adult described, but jugulum tinged with soft pinkish-rufous, and the black bars on upper parts—especially on wings—with a plumbeous cast.

In regard to this form, we must either consider that it is a distinct species, or assume that it is a light phase of a Cuban species, of which T. sparveroides may be the dark or rufescent form; knowing, as we do, that the differences between leucophrys and sparveroides depend on neither sex, age, nor season, then the only way to account for the two phases is to consider that the Cuban bird (if we deny it the rank of a species) presents a very peculiar example of dimorphism. I have never yet seen a specimen which was not decidedly one or the other. An adult male from Cuba is immaculate white beneath, the breast very strongly tinged with deep rufous, the mustache wholly absent. Two females have narrow brown streaks on the breast, the mustache nearly obsolete; the dusky bars on primaries and tail much narrower.

List of Specimens examined.—Nat. Mus., 7; Bost. Soc., 3; Philad. Acad., 2; G. N. Lawrence, 4. Total, 16.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 6.80–7.30; tail, 4.90–5.20; culmen, .45; tarsus, 1.45; middle toe, .90; specimens, 4. ♀, Wing, 7.10–7.60; tail, 4.90–5.60; culmen, .50–.52; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, .91; specimens, 6.

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Falco (Tinnunculus) sparveroides. Falco sparveroides, Vigors, Zoöl. Journ. III, 436, 1827; Isis, 1830, p. 1166.—D’Orb. (R. de la Sagra), Hist. Cuba, 1840, p. 30, pl. i. Tinnunculus sparveroides, Gray, Gen. B. fol. sp. 12, 1844.—Fraser, Zoöl. Typ. pl. xxx.—Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 27.—Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 100, 1855.—Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. 1860, p. 1 (in part dark specimens).—Ridgway, P. A. N. S. Phil. Dec. 1870, 149. Tinnunculus dominicensis (not of Gmel.?), Gray, Hand List, I, 24, 1869.—Gundlach, Repert. Cuba, I, 225, 1865. ? Hypotriorchis ferrugineus, Sauss. Rev. et Mag. Zoöl. 1859, p. 117, pl. iii.

Hab. Cuba (only?).

Adult ♂ (31,985, Cuba; J. Ackhurst). Above, continuously dark plumbeous, from bill to the tail, the shafts of the feathers black (these streaks most noticeable on the head above), the larger scapulars and interscapulars darker centrally, forming indistinct or obscure spots; this plumbeous covers the whole neck laterally, and the middle area of the ear-coverts. An obsolete “mustache” running from the lores downward across the cheeks, a spot across ends of the ear-coverts connected with that on the neck, and obsolete though continuous collar round the nape, inclining to black. Primaries wholly black, basal third of secondaries the same. (No spots on wings.) Tail deep chestnut, shafts of feathers black; terminal band dull slate; subterminal black zone about .60 of an inch in width, but instead of running sharply across, as in all the varieties of sparverius and in leucophrys, the black runs along the edge of each feather, bordering it nearly to the base; the lateral feather has both webs continuous deep chestnut, the tip slate, the subterminal spot and shaft black. Chin and throat dull ashy-white; rest of lower parts continuous deep chestnut-rufous, this palest on the anal region, and tinged with slate across the jugulum as well as on the flanks, where there are a very few darker spots. (The chestnut beneath is unspotted.) Inner webs of primaries mottled along the edge with paler slate, this running in points toward the shafts, giving an idea of bars. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4, 1. Wing, 7.00; tail, 4.45; tarsus, 1.31; middle toe, .90; culmen, .50.

♂ (29,579, Cuba, April 25; Charles Wright). Head above, dark plumbeous; feathers with darker shaft-lines; black stripes of head more sharply defined than in the male. Above, continuously deep rufous (brighter and more ferruginous than in the different styles of sparverius), continuously barred, as in var. sparverius, but blacker, the bars on upper part of back with tendency to longitudinal direction. Tail with twelve narrow, sharply defined bars of black; but the ground-color continuous rufous to the tip, the lateral feather as deeply rufous as the middle. Inner webs of primaries deep rusty-rufous, with twelve very narrow transverse bars of dusky crossing to the edge. The middle area of the ear-coverts, with the chin and throat, is dull white; the rest of the lower parts (including side of the neck) and whole lining of the wing are deep rusty-rufous, paler on the crissum, nearly white on the anal region; these regions have no spots, except on the flanks, where are a few narrow transverse bars. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4, 1. Wing, 7.00; tail, 4.45; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, .90; culmen, .51.

Juv. ♂ (39,108, Remedios, Cuba, December 11, 1863; N. H. Bishop). General appearance of the adult; but back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts chestnut-rufous, uniform with the tail; these parts are, however, strongly clouded with more bluish slate, and the blackish spots are more distinct. The black zone of the tail runs more sharply across, and is narrower than in the adult. The middle area of the ear-coverts is nearly as light as the throat. The rufous beneath is less castaneous, as well as less continuous, becoming nearly white on abdomen and tibia; the slaty tinge on the jugulum is wanting. Wing-formula, 3, 2–4, –1. Wing, 6.85; tail, 4.90; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, .90; culmen, .50.

♀ (23,546, Monte Verde, Cuba, July 16, 1861; Charles Wright). Differing from the adult in the same respects as does that of sparverius, the chief differences consisting in the deeper chestnut of the tail, and broader and blacker bars above. Rufous beneath, with numerous sagittate spots of black; lower tail-coverts with subterminal bars, and lining of the wing with sparse streaks of the same. Plumage generally with a blended appearance. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4=1. Wing, 7.40; tail, 4.85; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, .90. Another specimen (No. 23,545, Monte Verde, July 17, 1861; C. Wright) is much the same, but has distinct spots of black on the abdomen, and tear-shaped marking of the same on the scapulars. The young female of this species bears a remarkably close resemblance to the young of T. punctatus, Cuv., of Madagascar, agreeing almost entirely with it in colors, with the exception of those on the tail, the bars on which are black and ash, instead of black and rufous. Whether it be considered a distinct species or not, the T. sparveroides certainly grades into the T. sparverius, in the very near relation of an aberrant condition of the adult phase of the latter, noticed in specimens from Florida and adjoining portions of the South American and Gulf coast, and the young normal or usual plumage of the former. As is well known, the young ♂ sparveroides has a reddish and also more or less barred or spotted back, as in the male of all the races of sparverius at all ages; the intermediate or transition dress of the young male showing cloudings of plumbeous in the rufous, indicative of the coming uniform plumbeous of perfect maturity. Now, knowing that a wholly plumbeous dorsal region in the adult, and wholly or mostly rufous dorsal region in the young male, are characteristic features of T. sparveroides, we are somewhat surprised to find in adult males of T. sparverius var. isabellinus from Florida, a greater or less mixture of plumbeous feathers in various parts of the dorsal region, particularly in the rump and upper tail-coverts. Many specimens from this locality show another approach to the young male of sparveroides in the deep, unspotted rufous of the lower parts, sometimes the throat only being white. A young male of sparveroides from Cuba, and an adult male of sparverius said to be from Cuba, are at a cursory glance not distinguishable; a close comparison, however, will disclose the fact, that in the former, the badly defined head-markings, nearly obsolete black markings on the wings (including basal space of the secondaries, which is conspicuously and sharply defined in the other specimen), and the blurred character of the bars over inner webs of primaries, remain as characters distinguishing the former. The lateral tail-feather, too, has its outer web deep rufous, while it is white, black-spotted, in the specimen of sparverius.

List of Specimens examined.—Nat. Mus., 14; Bost. Soc., 3; Philad., 1; G. N. Lawrence, 4; R. Ridgway, 1. Total, 23.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 6.90–7.10; tail, 4.80–5.10; culmen, .50; tarsus, 1.45–1.48; middle toe, .90. Specimens, 4. ♀. Wing, 7.00–7.50; tail, 5.00–5.15; culmen, .50; tarsus, 1.35–1.40; middle toe, .88–.90. Specimens, 3.

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Falco sparverius, var. australis. Falco gracilis (not of Lesson!), Swains. An. Menag. p. 281, 1838. Falco sparverius (not of Linnæus!), Tschudi, Faun. Per. An. p. 110. Tinnunculus sparverius (not of Vieillot!), Darw. Zoöl. Beag. pt. iii, 29. Bidens sparverius, Spix, Av. Bras. I, 16. Bidens dominicensis (not F. dominicensis of Gmelin!), Spix, Av. Bras. I, 16. Tinnunculus dominicensis, Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 100, 1855 (in part). T. sparverius, var. australis, Ridgway, P. A. N. S. Phil. Dec. 1870, 149.

Hab. Most of continental South America, except the North Atlantic and the Caribbean coasts, where replaced by the var. isabellinus. In Chile and Western Brazil, mixed with, but not replaced by, var. ? cinnamominus.

Adult ♂ (20,937, Parana; Coll. of the U. S. Paraguay Exp.). Similar to var. sparverius. Head above with the rufous entirely wanting; rufous of the plumage more vinaceous; black bars of the scapulars almost transversely cordate, and nearer the end of the feather; black zone of the tail only .60 of an inch wide. Beneath continuously white, with elliptical spots or streaks of pure black on sides, becoming somewhat circular on the flanks. Wing, 7.70; tail, 5.30; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, .92; culmen, .48. In all respects, except the points described, resembling the true sparverius of North America, of which it is nothing more than a geographical race, and a not very strongly marked one, though the differences indicated are very constant.

♀ (50,942, Brazil; Sr. Don Fred. Albuquerque). Very similar to sparverius; the rufous, equally pale, is, however, more vinaceous; the tail decidedly less rufescent. The black bars are about the same, but on the tail there are thirteen, and the subterminal one is scarcely broader than the rest; the lateral tail-feather has the bars only on inner web, and here almost wanting. Head above as in the male, being without the rufous tinge on the vertex. Beneath yellowish-white, about like sparverius; the whole breast and side with numerous longitudinal dashes of deep brown, similar in form to sparverius, but of much deeper tint. Inner web of longest primary with twelve transverse bars of white, these scarcely exceeding the dusky ones. Wing-formula, 2, 3–4–1. Wing, 7.80; tail, 5.20; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, .95; culmen, .55.

Juv. ♂ (16,570, Bogota; W. Evans). Differing from the adult in deeper rufous and broader black bars; those on the tail twelve in number, more than doubling in width those of the adult; markings beneath more blended, darker brown. Differs from young of var. sparverius in much lighter rufous above; less purely black bars; entire absence of rufous on crown, and narrower shaft-streaks here; less ochraceous-white beneath, and less blended markings.

List of Specimens examined.—Nat. Mus., 16; Bost. Soc., 3; Philad. Acad., 16; N. Y. Mus., 4; Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 2; R. Ridgway, 1. Total, 42.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 6.80–7.90; tail, 4.75–5.90; culmen, .48–.50; tarsus, 1.40–1.50; middle toe, .90–1.00. Specimens, 17. ♀. Wing, 7.20–8.15; tail, 5.10–5.80; culmen, .48–.52; tarsus, 1.20–1.52; middle toe, .90. Specimens, 25.

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Falco sparverius, var. dominicensis. Accipiter (Æsalon) dominicensis, Brisson, Orn. I, 389, pl. xxxii. f. 2, 1760. Falco dominicensis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. p. 285, 1789. Tinnunculus dominicensis, Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 100, 1855 (in part only). Tinnunculus sparverius, var. dominicensis, Ridgway, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. Dec. 1870, 149.

Hab. Lesser Antilles north to Porto Rico and St. Thomas.

Adult ♂ (52,428, St. Bartholemi; Professor Sundevall). Resembling var. isabellinus in general appearance, but darker, and more heavily barred above; beneath much more spotted. Head above with blackish shaft-streaks and vertex with a patch of rufous; this, however, somewhat restricted. Rufous above, with numerous broad bars of black, these running continuously across and extending anteriorly to the neck; rump even, with a few very small, transversely sagittate specks of the same. Tail crossed by nine perfectly regular and sharply defined narrow bands of pure black, anterior to the subterminal zone, which is about .80 of an inch wide; outer feather white, tinged medially with rufous, barred with black to the base. Black spotting in dark cinereous of the wing very exaggerated in comparison with var. sparverius. Markings beneath very numerous, the sides being thickly marked with large cordate or nearly circular spots of black, these growing larger toward the flanks. The rufous of the breast is about as in var. isabellinus. Wing, 6.80; tail, 5.10; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, .94; culmen, .53. Wing-formula, 3–2–4, 5, 6–1.

♀ (52,429, St. Bartholemi; Professor Sundevall). Black bands above exceeding in breadth the rufous ones; each feather of the head above with a sharp medial streak of black. Tail with twelve bands of black; outer feather approaching white. Markings beneath pure black, as in the male; their course longitudinal anteriorly, on the sides more circular, transverse on the flanks. Wing, 6.70; tail, 5.00; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, 1.00; culmen, .53. Wing-formula, 3, 2–4–1, 5.

The male selected for the type is an extreme example; no others have the character of the variety presented in a degree as exaggerated as this specimen. Nos. 362 (♂) and 170 (♀) of the Bryant Collection from Porto Rico, and No. 36,554 (♂, St. Thomas; Robert Swift), may be taken as more perfect, or rather as average representatives of the variety. These two males are almost exactly similar. They have the back as strongly barred as in the type, and the black spots on the rump are as noticeable; but the tail, instead of being crossed by regular, perfectly continuous, sharply defined bands, has these broader and more broken, being indicated only by spots along the edge; they also decrease in width toward the base. The Porto Rico specimen has very much ashy-white between the two last black bars, this being found on the four lateral feathers; between the next two, on three feathers, etc. The other specimen, however, is destitute of this ashy-white, although the outer web of the lateral feather is pure white,—spotted, however, with black. In the Porto Rico specimen the breast is as deeply ochraceous as in the isabellinus style; but the spots are larger and more numerous even than in any examples of sparverius. A female from here differs from the type only in a few unimportant points, the principal difference being in the markings beneath. In this there is a general ochraceous wash on the lower parts, the markings linear only on the breast, becoming tear-shaped and circular on the sides, and transverse on the flanks; the red patch on the crown is quite extensive. In the whole series the third quill is longest, and the bill is, in all, considerably longer than in any specimen of sparverius excepting those from Florida. Another female from St. Thomas (36,551; Robert Swift) is almost exactly like the one from Porto Rico; the rufous of the crown covers nearly the whole top of the head, and is quite bright. In a series of skins belonging to Mr. Newton, deposited in the S. I. Collection, we find a pair of this variety from the island of St. Croix, W. I. They are perfectly typical examples. The male (“May 2, 1857, B. B.”) has the large black spots of the side transversely cordate; the bands on the tail are broken into spots on edges of the feathers; the female (“s. p. 227, B. 6”) is in nearly all respects like the specimen described.

List of Specimens examined.—Nat. Mus., 7; Bost. Soc., 3; A. Newton, 2. Total, 10.

Measurements.—♂. Wing, 6.20–6.80; tail, 4.50–5.50; culmen, .45–.55; tarsus, 1.50; middle toe, .95. Specimens, 5. ♀. Wing, 6.80–7.10; tail, 5.50–5.75; culmen, .55; tarsus, 1.50; middle toe, 1.05. Specimens, 5.

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Falco sparverius, var. cinnamominus. Falco cinnamominus, Swainson, An. Menag. p. 281, 1838. Pœcilornis cinnamominus, Kaup, Monog. Falc. Cont. Orn. 1850, p. 53 (under P. sparverius). Tinnunculus cinnamomeus, Gray, Gen. B. fol. sp. 11, 1844; List B. Brit. Mus. p. 62.—Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 27.—Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 100, 1855. Tinnunculus (sparverius var.?) cinnamominus, Ridgway, P. A. N. S. Phil. Dec. 1870, 149.

Hab. Chile and Western Brazil.

Adult ♂ (48,821, Valdivia, Chile, January, 1864; Nat. Mus. of Chile, Dr. Philippi, Dir.). Somewhat like var. australis; in fact, resembling this in general appearance. Head above, however, very dark dull plumbeous, with very distinct shaft-streaks of black. Back and scapulars sparsely barred with black, the bars broadest posteriorly. Tail much brighter rufous than the back; continuous rufous to the extreme tip; a very narrow subterminal band of black, .30 of an inch wide, crossing about .55 of an inch from the tip, making the terminal deep rufous, nearly twice as wide as the black; toward the outer feathers the black is thrown into a spot on each web, scarcely touching the shaft; on the lateral feather the black is lacking entirely, the inner web being continuous rufous, the outer paler, inclining to ochraceous-white. Primaries conspicuously white terminally; inner webs white, with transverse bars of dusky; there being on the longest (second) ten spaces of white, these more than twice the width of the dusky bars; lining of the wing creamy-white, with minute streaks of black sparsely distributed. Forehead more hoary than the crown; lores white. Ear-coverts, neck, and entire lower parts, continuous dull white; breast with a few minute black streaks; flanks with more expanded tear-shaped dashes of the same. The “mustache” is very conspicuous, as are also the oral, cervical, and nuchal markings. Wing-formula, 2=3–1, 4. Wing, 7.40; tail, 5.15; tarsus, 1.40; middle toe, .95; culmen, .50. No. 50,944 (Brazil; Sr. Don Fred. Albuquerque) is exactly similar.