Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Kovalik
2020-D-8: Add Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus to the Main List
An error in the text:
Quote:
The more eastern, nominate subspecies is much larger, and the plumage variation includes a dark morph, which is more frequent in the eastern part of its range (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). More western rufinus is significantly smaller and averages a paler, more rufous belly, and it does not have a dark morph (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).
Should read:
Quote:
The more eastern, nominate subspecies is much larger, and the plumage variation includes a dark morph, which is more frequent in the eastern part of its range (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). More western cirtensis is significantly smaller and averages a paler, more rufous belly, and it does not have a dark morph (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).
Good catch!
The Key says “
L. Cirtensis of Cirta, Numidia (= Constantine, Algeria)”
B. rufinus fatherland is Das obere nubien etc basically Sudan along the Niles ad Ethiopia.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/114235#page/257/mode/1up .
Here is Vaillant 1850 F. cirtensis:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/175182#page/473/mode/1up . only the drawing is his the text is from Loche and from 1867.
Info:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/85192#page/405/mode/1up .
Vaillant is the son of the other one. He was a French soldier in Algeria in the 1840’s. The French army must have killed a lot of raptors in that campaign:
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=386386 .
Are Sudan birds still considered B. rufinus? Even in America Algeria is west of Ethiopia.