Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Schmitt, Stéphane & Gouraud, Christophe, 2024, The significance of Buffon and Guéneau de Montbeillard’s Histoire naturelle des oiseaux ([1765] - 1783) in the taxonomy of birds: General presentation and correspondence between Buffon’s “ eagles ” and the species acknowledged by Linnaeus (1758, 1766), Brisson (1759 - 1762), and Gmelin (1788 - 1789), Zoosystema 46 (16), pp. 361-409 : 385-387

3. Buffon’s “Aigle Commun” (full species)

3.1. Linnaeus (1758): corresponds to two distinct species (3.1.1. “ Falco fulvus ”, and 3.1.2. “ Falco canadensis ”).

3.1.1. Linnaeus (1758: 88): “ FALCO FULVUS ” G41, S3, order “ Accipitres ”.

REFERENCES. — Willughby (1676: 28), “ Chrysaëtos caudâ annulo albo cincta ”; Ray (1713: 6 no. 2), “ Aquila fulva seu Chrysaëtos, caudâ annulo albo cinctâ ”.

DISTRIBUTION. — Europe.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — * Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos ( Linnaeus, 1758) , according to the diagnosis (yellow cere, downy legs, brown back, wide stripe on the tail) and the mentioned sources: Linnaeus relies on the description by Willughby and Ray of several individuals, including a juvenile captured in 1668 in Derbyshire.

MODERN NOMENCLATURE. — Falco fulvus Linnaeus, 1758 is considered an available name, and a junior synonym of Falco chrysaetos Linnaeus, 1758 ; type locality is England, according to Peters (1931: 253), who relied on Ray.

3.1.2. Linnaeus (1758: 88): “ FALCO CANADENSIS ” G41, S4, order “ Accipitres ”.

REFERENCES. — Edwards (1743: 1, pl. 1), “White Tailed Eagle”.

DISTRIBUTION. — Canada.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — The only source, Edwards, describes a bird brought alive from Hudson Bay. His text and his plate clearly correspond to * Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) .

MODERN NOMENCLATURE. — Falco canadensis Linnaeus, 1758 is considered an available and valid name, the protonym of the name currently in use for the subspecies; type locality is Hudson Bay, according to Peters (1931: 254), who relied on Edwards.

3.2. Brisson (1759a: 419-422, 1762: 25, 1763a: 121-122): “ AIGLE ”, “ AQUILA ”, species 1 of genus IX (“Aigle”, “ Aquila ”), order III, section 1. Here Brisson uses a specific uninomial which is also the generic name.

OBSERVATION. — Direct observation in Réaumur’s cabinet (unspecified origin).

REFERENCES. — Aldrovandi (1599: 17), “ Aquila ” in general; Worm (1655: 292), “ Aquila ”; Jonston (1657: 1), “ Aquila ” in general; Charleton (1668: 62 no. I, 1677: 70 no. I), idem; Willughby (1676: 28); Ray (1713: 6 no. 2); Besler (1716: 16), “ Aquila alpina saxatilis ”; Rzączyński (1721: 270), “ Aquila ”; Perrault (1733: 89, pl. 49), “Aigle”; Edwards (1743: 1, pl. 1); Ellis (1749: 54, pl. II), “Aigle à queue blanche”; Klein (1750: 41 no. 3), “ Aquila Simpliciter ”; Möhring (1752: 49), genus “ Aquila ”; Linnaeus (1758: [88]), G41, S3 and S4.

DISTRIBUTION / HABITAT.— “High mountains”.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — According to the diagnosis and the description (not least the size, “bigger than a turkey”, the color of the head and of the top of the neck, “brown verging to the red”, and the white tail-base), the bird observed by Brisson is * Aquila chrysaetos ( Linnaeus, 1758) , probably the nominate subspecies, which is the most common of the three Eurasian subspecies. The references mentioned correspond either (Ray, Willughby, Worm, Besler, Perrault…) to the same subspecies, or (Edwards, Ellis) to * Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) . Brisson also refers to chapters of Aldrovandi and other authors on “eagles” in general, covering many species and subspecies.

3.3. Linnaeus (1766): corresponds to a full species (3.3.1. “ Falco fulvus ”) and a variety (3.3.2. Variety β of “ Falco fulvus ”).

3.3.1. Linnaeus (1766: 125): “ FALCO FULVUS ” G42, S6, order “ Accipitres ”. Includes a North American variety (β) which was a full species in 1758: see below (3.3.2).

REFERENCES (WITHOUT THE VARIETY). — Aldrovandi (1599: 17); Brisson (1759a: 419); Willughby (1676: 28); Ray (1713: 6 no. 2); “Dodart”, in fact Perrault (1733: 89, pl. 49).

DISTRIBUTION (INCLUDING THE VARIETY). — Canada, Europe.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — * Aquila chrysaetos ( Linnaeus, 1758) ; see the comments on Linnaeus (1758) and Brisson. Unlike in 1758, the identification of the subspecies is not possible, considering the references and the distribution. For the European forms, the subspecies daphanea, japonica, canadensis , and kamtschatica can be excluded; for the North American “variety”, see below.

3.3.2. Linnaeus (1766: 125): Variety β of “ Falco fulvus ” G42, S6, order “ Accipitres ”. (see above, 3.3.1).

REFERENCES. — Edwards (1743: 1, pl. 1); Ellis (1749: 54, pl. 2); Linnaeus (1758: 88), G41, S4.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — * Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) ; see the comments on Linnaeus (1758) and Brisson.

3.4. Buffon in Buffon & Guéneau de Montbeillard (1771a: 86-90), quarto edition; (1771b: 68-71, PE 409), folio edition: “ AIGLE COMMUN ”. Buffon distinguishes between two varieties in this species: the “aigle brun” (in question here), and the “aigle noir” (see below, 4.4).

PE 409. — “L’Aigle commun” (published in March 1770).

OBSERVATION. — Direct observation: maybe specimen(s) from Réaumur’s cabinet.

REFERENCES (FOR THE “AIGLE BRUN” ONLY). — Willughby (1676: 28); Ray (1713: 6 no. 2); Perrault (1733: 89); Edwards (1743: pl. 1); Ellis (1749: 54); Brisson (1759a: 419).

DISTRIBUTION / HABITAT (FOR BOTH VARIETIES). — France, Savoy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Scotland, Hudson Bay ( Canada); “cold countries” of Old and New Worlds.

IDENTIFICATIONS PROPOSED BY LATER AUTHORS FOR PE 409. — Boddaert (1783: 25): Brisson (1759a: 434); Linnaeus (1766: 124), G42, S2; Latham (1781: 28 no. 2), “Black Eagle”, refers to Linnaeus’s “ Falco melanaeetus ”, Brisson’s “Aigle noir”, Buffon’s “Aigle commun” and PE 409; Latham (1781: 28, 32), identifies PE 409 with both Linnaeus’s “ Falco Melanaeetus ” and “ Falco fulvus ” (“Ring-tailed Eagle”). Kuhl (1820: 7): “ Falco fulvus L.”, male juvenile.

Temminck (1839: 3): “Aigle royal”, young; “ Falco fulvus . Linn.” Gray (1849: 33): “ Aquila chrysaetos ”.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — PE 409 represents a juvenile of * Aquila chrysaetos ( Linnaeus, 1758) , certainly * Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos ( Linnaeus, 1758) . It may be the same specimen as the one described by Brisson. The text mainly corresponds to the same species, but possibly to several subspecies (except daphanea, homeyeri, japonica, and kamtschatica). As to the mentioned sources, see the comments on Linnaeus (1758) and Brisson; the birds described by Edwards and Ellis are * Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) .

3.5. Gmelin (1788): as in Linnaeus 1766, corresponds to a full species and a variety (3.5.1 and 3.5.2).

3.5.1. Gmelin (1788: 256-257): “ FALCO FULVUS ” G42, S6, order “ Accipitres ”. Gmelin wonders whether it is the female of “ Falco Melanaëtos ” (see below). This species includes the variety “ β canadensis ” (see below 3.5.2).

REFERENCES (WITHOUT THE VARIETY). — Brisson (1759a: 419); Aldrovandi (1599: 17); “Dodart”, in fact Perrault (1733: 89, pl. 49); Ray (1713: 6 no. 2); Buffon & Guéneau de Montbeillard (1771a: 86) and PE 409; Willughby (1678: 59), “Golden Eagle with a white ring about its tail”; Pennant (1776: 165 [no. 43], 1785: 195 no. 87), “Black Eagle”; Latham (1781: 32 no. 6), “Ring-tailed Eagle”, refers to Linnaeus’s “ Falco fulvus ”, Brisson’s “Aigle”, and Buffon’s PE 409. NB: like Latham, Gmelin identifies PE 409 with both “ Falco fulvus ” and “ Falco Melanaëtos ” (see below).

DISTRIBUTION (INCLUDING THE VARIETY). — Europe, America, Northern Asia.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — * Aquila chrysaetos ( Linnaeus, 1758) ; includes at least the subspecies chrysaetos and canadensis , possibly kamtschatica, but not daphanea, homeyeri nor japonica. See the comments on Linnaeus (1758), Brisson, and Buffon.

3.5.2. Gmelin (1788: 256): Variety “ β canadensis ” of “ Falco fulvus ” G42, S6 (see above).

REFERENCES. — Linnaeus (1758: 88), G41, S4; Edwards (1743: 1, pl. 1); Ellis (1749: 54, pl. 2).

REMARK. — Latham’s “White-tailed Eagle”, variety of the “Ring-tailed Eagle” (1781: 32 no. 6A), is based on Linnaeus’s “ Falco fulvus ” var. β, Buffon’s “Pygargue” and PE 411, and Edwards’s plate 1.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — * Aquila chrysaetos canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) ; see the comments on Linnaeus (1758) and Brisson.