"Polyborus auduboni. Common Caracara. General color blackish, the throat, neck all around, and more or less of fore back and breast whitish, spotted and chiefly barred with blackish; upper and under tail-coverts and most of the tail white, the latter very numerously barred with blackish, of which color is the broad terminal zone; the shafts white along the white portion of each feather. Basal portion of primaries likewise barred with whitish. Bill variously pale colored; cere carmine; iris brown; feet yellow; claws black; soft parts drying to a dingy indefinable color." Elliot Coues, 1884

Caracaras

"Polyborus auduboni. Common Caracara. General color blackish, the throat, neck all around, and more…

"Falco mexicanus. American Lanner Falcon. Prairie Flacon. A medium-sized species, distinguished from any gyrfalcon by the smaller size, different feathering of the tarsus etc., from the duck hawk by the general much lighter color, which is dull brownish above instead of dark slate, etc. Adult: Upper parts brownish-drab, each feather with a paler border of brown, grayish, or whitish; the top of the head more uniform, the occiput and nape showing more whitish. Under parts white, everywhere excepting on the throat marked with firm spots of dark brown, most linear on the breast, then more broadly oval on the belly, enlarging and tending to merge into bars on the flanks, very sparse or obsolete on the crissum, on the maxiliary region forming a broad firm moustache; these marking corresponding with the ground color of the upper parts. Primaries ashy-brown, with narrow but firm pale edging of outer webs and ends, the inner webs regularly marked with white in form of barred indents or circumscribed spots, most numerous and regular on the outer primaries; the white tinged with fulvous, next to the shafts; the outer web of the first primary either plain, or with whitish indents as in F. lanarius; outer webs of secondaries more or less marked with fulvous; axillars plain dark brown; lining of wings otherwise white, spotted with dark brown. Tail pale brownish-gray, nearly uniform, but with white tip, and more or less distinct barring or indenting with whitish, especially on the lateral feathers, producing a pattern not unlike that of the primaries. Bill mostly dark bluish horn-color, but its base, and much of under mandible, yellow; feet yellow." Elliot Coues, 1884

Prairie Falcon Head

"Falco mexicanus. American Lanner Falcon. Prairie Flacon. A medium-sized species, distinguished from…

Falco tinnunculus. Common Kestral. This bird is a European bird of prey. Plumage on upperside, chestnut-brown with black spots; underside narrow black streaks; tail has a black tip with thin white rim; male has bluish-gray head; female has a brown tail with black bars.

Common Kestral

Falco tinnunculus. Common Kestral. This bird is a European bird of prey. Plumage on upperside, chestnut-brown…