TINNUNCULUS CENCROIDES.

Nankeen Kestril.

Falco Cencroides, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 183.
Nankeen Hawk, of the Colonists.

 

OrnirHooaists will not fail to observe how beautifully the present bird represents in Australia the well-
known Kestril of the British Islands, to which it closely assimilates in many of its actions and in much of
its economy. ;

So far as is yet known, this elegant Kestril is not only confined to Australia, but its habitat is even
restricted to the south-eastern portion of that continent. I observed it to be tolerably abundant in every

 

yart of New South Wales, and als ains of the interior 1 ate “| ; i :
fe | a al , a da 2 on the pleut ot the interior in the neighbourhood of the river Namoi.
A large collection of birds from South Australia, kindly forwarded to me by T. C. Eyton, Esq., also con-
tained examples.

Mr. Caley states that it is a migratory species, but I am inclined to differ from this opinion ; his speci-
mens were procured in New South Wales in May and June, while mine were obtained at the opposite

season of December, when it was breeding in many of the large gum-trees on the rivers Mokai and Namoi ;

 

probably some districts are deserted for a short time, and such others resorted to as may furnish it with a
more abundant supply of its natural food, and this circumstance may have led him to consider it to be
migratory.

nn ee i ie ae eos ie =f ae a ; ° i ° .

The flight of the Nankeen Kestril differs from that of its European ally in being more buoyant and easy,

 

the bird frequently suspending itself in the air without the slightest motion of the wings: it also flies much

 

higher, and having arrived at a great height flies round in a series of circles, these flights being often per-
formed during the hottest part of the day; a circumstance which leads me to suppose that some kind of

insect food was the object of the search, it being well known that in mid-day insects ascend to a much

 

greater altitude than at any other time.

The sexes present the usual differences in their markings, the female having all the upper surface alter-
nately barred with buff and brown, while the male is furnished with a more uniform tint. I once took four
fully-fledged young from the hole of a tree by the side of a lagoon at Brezi, in the interior of New South
Wales; I also observed nests which I believe were constructed by this bird, but which were placed on the

branches in the ordinary way of the members of this group.

The male has the forehead white; head and back of the neck reddish grey, with the shaft of each feather
black ; back, scapularies and wing-coverts cinnamon-red, with a small oblong patch of black near the
extremity of each feather ; primaries, secondaries and greater coverts dark brown, slightly fringed with
the inner webs of these feathers white, into which the dark colourmg proceeds in a

white; the base of
; face white, with a slight moustache of dark brown

series of points, resembling the teeth of a large saw
from each angle of the mouth; chest and flanks buffy white, with the shaft of each feather dark brown ;
abdomen and under tail-coverts w
from the base grey ; remaining portion of
broad distinct band of deep black, the band being narrow, and only on the inner web of the external
base of the under mandible yellowish ; cere

hite ; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers for two-thirds of their length
all but the two centre feathers white, crossed near the tip by a

feather ; bill horn-colour near the base, black towards the tip ;
and orbits yellowish orange ; legs orange.

The female has all the upper surface, wings and tail cinnamon-red ;
dark patch of brown in the centre, assuming the shape of arrow-heads on the wing-coverts ; the scapularies
, and the tail with an irregular band near the extremity; throat, vent and

of the under surface reddish buff, with a stripe of brown down the

each feather of the former with a

irregularly barred with the same
under tail-coverts white ; remainder
centre of each feather.

The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.