File:Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of (14727559256).jpg

Identifier: keytonorthameric00coues (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: Boston, Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
sh, in which case the tail isusually barred several times with white. Our lighter-colored birds are not fairly separablefrom the normal European A. lagopus ; but our birds average darker, aud their frequent mel-anism does not appear to befall the European stock. But in any plumage the rough-leg isknown at a glance from any Buteo by the feathered shanks; while the i)eculiar coloration of 550 SYSTEM A TIC SYNOPSIS. — RA P TUBES — A CCIPITBES. A. fernigineus is highly distinctive of the \nmf Length of a 9 , 22.00; extent 54.00; wing17.50; tail 9.00; iris light brown; bill mostly blackish-blue, cere pale greenish-yellow, feetdull yellow, claws blue-black. This is about an average size; the $ averages smaller; wingabout 16.00, etc. The name adopted, it must be observed, is not intended to discriminate theblack from the ordinary plumage, but to separate tlie American bird subspecifically from theEuropean. N. Am., at large, common, especially in fertile, well-watered regions, as those of
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 382. — Kougli-legged Buzzard, ; luit. size. (From Brelim.) the Atlantic seaboard ; a large, heavy, and somewliat sluggish hawk, haunting meadows andmarshes, to some extent crepuscular in habits, of low, easy, and almost noiseless flight; prey-ing upon insignificant quarry, particularly small rodent and insectivorous mammals, reptiles,batrachians and insects. Nest usually in large trees, liut frequently on a ledge of rocks or theedge of a cut-bank ; a bulky mass of interlaced sticks, with scifter matted material of miscel-laneous kinds ; eggs 3-5, laid late in May and in June, measuring 2.10-2 25 in length, by1.75-1.80 in breadth; varying in color frcim diugy wliitish with scarcely any marking, or but FALCONID^—BUTEONIN^: BUZZARDS. 551 faint clouding, to creamy-white boldly variegated with blotches and washes of dark brown onthe surface, with neutral-tint markings in the substance of the shell. A. ferrugineus. (Lat. ferriigo, iron-rust.) Ferruginous Eough-legged Buzzard. Calif

Note About Images