TINNUNCULUS CENCROIDES.
N a n k e e n K e s t r i l .
Falco Cencro'ides, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 183.
Nankeen Hawk, of the Colonists.
O r n it h o l o g i s t s will not fail t o 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
part of New South Wales, and also on the plains of 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 contained
examples.
Mr. Caley states that it is a migratory species, but I am inclined to differ from this opinion ; his specimens
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.
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 performed
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 alternately
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
white; the base of the .inner webs of these feathers white, into which the dark colouring proceeds in a
series of points, resembling, the teeth of a large saw; face white, with a slight moustache of dark brown
from each angle of the mouth ; chest and flanks buffy white, with the shaft.of each feather dark brown;
abdomen and under tail-coverts-white; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers for two-thirds of their length
from the base grey ; remaining portion of all but the two centre feathers white, crossed near the tip by a
broad distinct band of deep black, the band being narrow, and only on the inner web of the external
feather ; bill horn-colour near the base, black towards the tip ; base of the under mandible yellowish ; cere
and orbits yellowish orange; legs orange.
The female has all the upper surface, wings and tail cinnamon-red; each feather of the former with a
dark patch of brown in the centre, assuming the shape of arrow-heads on the wing-coverts ; the scapularies
irregularly barred with the same,, and the tail with an irregular band near the extremity; throat, vent and
under tailrcoverts white; remainder of the under surface reddish buff, with a stripe of brown down the
centre of each feather.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.