. Birds of Massachusetts and other New England states. Birds; Birds. 134 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS on upper breast, and enlarge into bars on flanks and into broad arrowheads on lower belly and leg-feather- ing ; tail barred as in adult, but bars less conspicuous, and tip usually more broadly whitish; flight-feath- ers more or less marbled with white on basal parts of inner webs, which are faintly barred black; young also have a dark phase and are as variable as adults; iris gray, cere greenish-gray; feet grayish-yellow; bill and claws blue-black (Coues).* Downy young: White and fluffy, sometimes
. Birds of Massachusetts and other New England states. Birds; Birds. 134 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS on upper breast, and enlarge into bars on flanks and into broad arrowheads on lower belly and leg-feather- ing ; tail barred as in adult, but bars less conspicuous, and tip usually more broadly whitish; flight-feath- ers more or less marbled with white on basal parts of inner webs, which are faintly barred black; young also have a dark phase and are as variable as adults; iris gray, cere greenish-gray; feet grayish-yellow; bill and claws blue-black (Coues).* Downy young: White and fluffy, sometimes tinged creamy-pink or gray. Measurements. — Male: Length to in.; spread to ; folded wing to ; tail to ; bifl, without cere, .80 to .95; tarsus to Female: Length to ; spread to ; folded wing to ; tail to ; biU .80 to ; tarsus to Weight 1 lb. 10 oz. to 3 lbs. 8 oz. Female larger than male. Molts. — Juvenal plumage is acquired by complete postnatal molt as bird develops. Apparently this plumage is worn through first winter. Probably molt begins in spring and continues through summer and part of autumn (at least from June to October). According to Cameron this species becomes as adult (molt- ing annually) when about A^ years old.^ Adults have one complete molt during the milder part of year; specimens examined were in molt from July to October. Field Marks. — Adult {light phase): When seen in fhght from below resem- bles " Red-tail," but is mainly white below with very wide dark band across upper breast, separating white throat from nearly white abdomen; wings slightly nar- rower and longer relatively than those of "Red-tail" with ends rounded; a white patch on each side of rump. (Species so variable that no uniformly reliable field marks can be given for dark phase or immature; most eastern specimens are of the dark or melanistic phase; mistakes
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Keywords: ., bookauthorforb, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds
