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Wilson, Alexander, 1766-1813. / American ornithology; or The natural history of the birds of the United States
(1828)

Species 10. Falco pennsylvanicus. Broad-winged hawk,   pp. [92]-94


Page 93


BROAD-WINGED HAWK.
but it was attacked and driven away by a King-bird before I
could effect my purpose, and I have never since been fortunate
enough to meet with another. On dissecting the one which I
had shot, it proved to be a male.
  In size this Hawk agrees, nearly, with the Buzzardet, (Fal-
co albidus) of Turton, described also by Pennant; (Arct. Zool.
N. 109.) but either the descriptions of these authors are very
inaccurate, the change of colour which that bird undergoes very
great, or the present is altogether a different species. Until,
however, some other specimens of this Hawk come under my
observation, I can only add to the figure here given, and which
is a good likeness of the original, the following particulars of
its size and plumage.
  Length fourteen inches, extent thirty-three inches; bill black,
blue near the base, slightly toothed; cere and corners of the
mouth yellow; irides bright amber; frontlet and lores white;
from the mouth backwards runs a streak of blackish brown;
upper parts dark brown, the plumage tipt, and the head streak-
ed, with whitish; almost all the feathers above are spotted or
barred with white; but this is not seen unless they be separated
by the hand; head large, broad and flat; cere very broad, the
nostril also large; tail short, the exterior and interior feathers
somewhat the shortest, the others rather longer, of a full black,
and crossed with two bars of white, tipt also slightly with
whitish; tail-coverts spotted with white; wings dusky brown,
indistinctly barred with black; greater part of the inner vanes
snowy; lesser coverts, and upper part of the back, tipt and
streaked with bright ferruginous; the bars of black are very dis-
tinct on the lower side of the wing; lining of the wing brown-
ish white, beautifully marked with small arrow-heads of brown;
chin white, surrounded by streaks of black; breast and sides
elegantly spotted with large arrow-heads of brown, centred
with pale brown; belly and vent, like the breast, white, but
more thinly marked with pointed spots of brown; femorals
brownish white, thickly marked with small touches of brown
and white; vent white; legs very stout; feet coarsely scaled,
93


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