To describe the economy of the Jardine’s Harrier would be merely to
repeat what has been said respecting that of the former species. Like
the other members of the genus, it flies lazily over the surface of the
plains, intently seeking for lizards, snakes, small quadrupeds and
birds; and when not pressed by hunger, reposes on some dried stick,
elevated knoll, or stone, from which it can survey all around. Although
I observed this species in all parts of the Hunter in summer, when
others of the _Falconidæ_ were breeding, I did not succeed in procuring
its eggs, or obtain any satisfactory information respecting its
nidification; in all probability its nest is constructed on or near the
ground, on the scrubby crowns of the low, open, sterile hills that
border the plains.
The sexes present considerable difference in size, but are very similar
in their markings; both are spotted, but the female is by far the finest
bird in every respect.
Crown of the head, cheeks and ear-coverts dark chestnut, each feather
having a mark of brown down the centre; facial disc, back of the neck,
upper part of the back, and chest uniform dark grey; lower part of the
back and scapulars dark grey, most of the feathers being blotched and
marked at the tips with two faint spots of white, one on each side of
the stem; shoulders, under surface of the wing, abdomen, thighs and
under tail-coverts rich chestnut, the whole of the feathers beautifully
spotted with white, the spots regularly disposed down each web, and
being largest and most distinct on the abdomen; greater and lesser
wing-coverts brownish grey, irregularly barred and tipped with a lighter
colour; secondaries dark grey, crossed with three narrow lines of dark
brown, and tipped with a broad band of the same colour, the extreme tips
being paler; primaries black for two-thirds of their length, their bases
brownish buff; upper tail-coverts brown, barred and tipped with greyish
white; tail alternately barred with conspicuous bands of dark brown and
grey, the brown band nearest the extremity being the broadest, the
extreme tips greyish white; irides bright orange-yellow; cere
olive-yellow; bill blue at the base, black at the culmen and tips; legs
yellow.
The young has the whole of the upper surface nearly uniform dark brown,
the tail more numerously barred, and the feathers of the chest and upper
part of the abdomen striated, instead of spotted with white: in other
respects it resembles the adults.
The front figure represents the female and the other the male, about
two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
STRIX CASTANOPS: _Gould_.
_Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
STRIX CASTANOPS, _Gould_.
Chestnut-faced Owl.
_Strix castanops_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 140; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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