THE THIRD SUB-FAMILY.—THE BUZZARDS (Buteoninæ).
These Hawks constitute a numerous assemblage of the birds of prey, and lead on from the long-legged Hawks of the previous sub-family to the Eagles, ending with the Great Harpy, which is, perhaps, the most powerful bird of prey in the world. All the Buzzards have the tibia much longer than the tarsus, but they may be distinguished from all the Eagles, Kites, and Falcons by having the back of the tarsus “plated,” and not “reticulated.” In the accompanying woodcuts is shown the hinder aspect of a Buzzard’s tarsus (figure on p. 274), by which it will be seen that the scales are arranged in plates, very differently from that which takes place in the tarsus of an Eagle (figure on p. 274), where the scales are reticulated.[178]
The Buzzards are more numerous in the northern parts of the world than in the tropics, and a large decrease in the number of species takes place in Central and Southern America, whilst in Oceania and Australia they are altogether absent. As a rule, they are birds of plain plumage andsluggish habits, possessing neither the courage of the Eagles, nor the dash and adroitness of the Falcons, in capturing their prey. Africa produces some species which, as regards plumage, are an exception to the general rule, the Augur and Jackal Buzzards (Buteo augurandButeo jackal) being rather handsome birds, their plumage being a mixture of black and chestnut.
HIND VIEW OF TARSUS OF BUZZARD, SHOWING THE PLATED ARRANGEMENT OF SCALES (A).
HIND VIEW OF TARSUS OF BUZZARD, SHOWING THE PLATED ARRANGEMENT OF SCALES (A).
THE COMMON BUZZARD (Buteo[179]vulgaris).
This is a strictly European bird, although it has been stated to occur in Central Asia, and to sometimes wander into North-eastern Africa. Like all other birds of prey, it is rather rare in Great Britain, but it still breeds in certain localities, although the great majority of specimens which are killed in Britain are found in the fall of the year. The power of the Common Buzzards to attack large game is very limited, and Mr. Robert Gray[180]observes:—“To many persons it will seem unwise, I dare say, to call this Buzzard a useful bird in game preserves, yet I cannot but think that if the experiment were made of allowing it to fulfil the ends for which Nature designed it, our native game birds would benefit by the trial. So far as my own observations have extended, the Common Buzzard is just the kind of instrument wanted to clear off sickly young birds, which, on arriving at maturity, yield an offspring of a degenerate breed. Of somewhat sluggish habits, it does not care to interfere with strong-winged birds, being content with those that, through wounds or a naturally feeble constitution, are unable to save themselves. In this way only strong birds are left, and a healthy breed ensues. Let any of our proprietors of moors, who are jealous of the daring prowess of Eagles and lordly Peregrines, act upon this hint, and I will venture to say we should have fewer instances of disease amongst game birds to chronicle.”
HIND VIEW OF TARSUS OF SERPENT EAGLE, SHOWING THE RETICULATED ARRANGEMENT OF SCALES.
HIND VIEW OF TARSUS OF SERPENT EAGLE, SHOWING THE RETICULATED ARRANGEMENT OF SCALES.
Although the Buzzard does not quarter the ground like a Harrier, and search for its prey on the wing, it may not unfrequently be seen circling in the air at a considerable height, generally over the place which contains its nest, but as a rule it perches on some stone or similar resting-place, whence it watches for its prey. When flying it utters a clear loud cry, which has been described as “mewing.” Its principal food consists of Field Mice, but it also devours Moles, young birds, the caterpillars of Hawk Moths (Sphingidæ), Grasshoppers, and it will also occasionally feed on carrion, or on dead fish cast up on the sea-shore. When migrating in the autumn, which it does in considerable numbers together, a good many are caught for the purposes of food, and the manner of catching them is thus described by Nilsson in his work on the birds of Sweden:—“In October, when they pass through Skåne on their passage to the south, they remain for some time on the outermost point of land to await a suitable westerly wind to cross. Large numbers collect and roost at night in the trees (especially in the willows) which grow there. When the darkness sets in, two men go in company to catch them, one with a sack, and the other with a stout cudgel. The latter climbs quietly up into the tree, where he can just distinguish the bird, whilst the other remains below; and so soonas the climber has got up to where he can reach a bird, he catches it by the legs with the left hand, and either twists its neck with his right hand, or stuns it with a blow of the cudgel, and throws it down to his companion on the ground, who crams it into the sack. In this manner two men can catch thirty or forty in the evening, or, according to Burgomaster C., as many even as seventy or eighty; and Captain E. relates that twenty were obtained one evening from the same tree. They are easiest to catch when it is dark and blowing hard, so that the bird cannot easily hear the noise. In all, many hundreds are caught annually, some of which are cooked fresh or made into soup, but most are salted down and kept for use during the winter.”
COMMON BUZZARD.
COMMON BUZZARD.
The nest of the Buzzard is generally placed on some non-evergreen tree at various heights from the ground, but in Scotland it builds on rocks. The usual number of eggs is three or four, and these are a bluish-white, with reddish blotches. They vary a good deal in colour, some being rather richly marked, while others are almost colourless. The time of breeding is generally the month of April, or in severe seasons, early in May. A Crow’s nest is occasionally taken possession of. When the bird makes its own nest, this is formed of large branches with a lining of grass, occasionally of a few feathers. No bird varies more than the Buzzard in plumage, and many beautiful variations in its dress take place before the adult plumage is gained. The old bird is almost entirely brown above and below, the breast and abdomen generally having a more or less barred appearance; the quills are brown, banded with darker brown, and shaded with grey on their outer aspect; the tail is ashy-brown, more or less inclining to rufous, and having twelve or thirteen bars of darker brown. Young birds have a great deal of white about their plumage, some of them being nearly cream-coloured. The size of the adults is about twenty-two inches, and the sexes vary a little in dimensions, the wing of the female being perhaps one inch longer than that of the male.
The great utility of the Buzzard in destroying Mice ought to render it an object of protection and encouragement, for the number of small Mammals destroyed by these birds is immense. Brehmcalculates that when they have young they will destroy at least one hundred Mice a day, and mentions that thirty Field Mice have been taken from the crop of a single bird.
THE HARPY (Thrasatus[181]harpyia[182]).
THE HARPY.
THE HARPY.
Although from its size and courage this bird is generally called theHarpy Eagle, it is evident from its structure that it is a Buzzard, as it possesses the “plated” tarsi of the latter group of birds. It is an inhabitant of the New World, from Mexico through Central America to Brazil and Bolivia. It is a very destructive bird, causing great damage to the flocks, and even destroying calves, whence it is an object of detestation to the stock-keepers in Mexico. It also feeds on deer and on the large Macaws which are found in the forest it frequents. It stands more than three feet and a half high, and has a large crest, which, together with its powerful talons and glittering eye, gives the bird an imposing aspect even in captivity. In the adult bird the coloration is ashy-grey, inclining in very old examples to silvery grey relieved by the dark ash-coloured wings and tail.