Tail longer than the wings; rounded at the extremity: the last phalanges of all the toes with only three scales.

Falco fulvus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. i. p. 38. Golden Eagle, Mont. Orn. Diet, and Supp. Selb. Illust. vol. I. p. 12. pls. 1, 1*, and 2. Bew. Brit. Birds; vol. i. p. 5.

Dimensions

Entire length three feet and a half: breadth eight feet. Mont.

Description

(Adult). Top of the head, and nape of the neck, bright rust-colour; the feathers long and acuminated: rest of the plumage dull brown, approaching to dusky: inside of the thighs, and feathers on the tarsi, light brown: tail deep gray, barred and tipped with blackish brown: bill bluish at the base, black at the extremity: irides brown: cere and feet yellow. (Young). Plumage throughout of a uniform reddish brown: vent and under tail-coverts whitish: inside of the thighs, and feathers on the tarsi, white: tail white for two-thirds of its length from the base; the remainder dark brown. Perfect plumage not attained till the fourth year. (Egg). Dirty white, mottled all over with pale reddish brown: longitudinal diameter three inches; transverse diameter two inches five lines.

Found principally in the mountainous parts of Scotland and Ireland: rare in England, but has been killed as far south as in Sussex. Preys on lambs, fawns, etc. as well as on the larger birds. Builds on rocks and tall trees, and lays two, rarely three, eggs. Obs. The Ring-tail Eagle (F. fulvus, Linn). is the young of this species.

(2. HaliAEetus, Sav).