Rufous-tailed hawk

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Rufous-tailed hawk
Buteo ventralis 39036964 (cropped).jpg
Buteo ventralis in Aysén, Chile
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Buteo
Species:
B. ventralis
Binomial name
Buteo ventralis
Gould, 1837
Buteo ventralis map.svg

The rufous-tailed hawk (Buteo ventralis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

Contents

The rufous-tailed hawk is found in southern Argentina and Chile, including the entire region of Tierra del Fuego. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and temperate grassland.

Description

The rufous-tailed hawk is similar to the red-tailed hawk. It was first recorded by Charles Darwin in Patagonia while on his voyage of the Beagle. [2] The rufous-tailed hawk is a medium-sized hawk with a wing span of 45–60 cm. [1] The overall size range of the hawk is 54–60 cm. [3] There are two different colorations of the rufous-tailed hawk. The more common pale version of the hawk has a blackish brown upper parts, with a darker cap and cinnamon feathers along the side of the head and neck. The belly is white with dark markings and reddish brown coloration on it. [4] The dark version is basically all black with whitish edging on the feathers. The call of the rufous-tailed hawk sounds like kee-ahrr. [4]

Habitat

The rufous-tailed hawk has been spotted living in a number of different habitat types, including evergreen beech forest, [5] mature forest and new growth forest that have been burned over, [6] and finally in open country. [7] The best theory for their ideal habitat was developed by Figueroa et al. (2000), [8] Trejo et al. (2006), and Rivas et al. (2009), who all suggested that rufous-tailed hawks' ideal habitat is somewhere with high trees near open areas that are good for hunting for prey. So far, there have been no reports of the rufous-tailed hawk living in human areas like cities or abandoned buildings.

Feeding

The rufous-tailed hawk feeds on a large variety of prey. They feed on everything from other birds to mammals and reptiles. This shows that rufous-tailed hawks have a very broad diet that is similar to the red-tailed hawk. Figueroa et al. (2000) reported the rufous-tailed hawk feeding on southern lapwing, Norwegian rat, European hare, red-breasted meadowlark, Chilean flicker, short-tailed snake, and even a few unidentified beetles. Feeding or prey capture was also recorded to happen in forest and in parries. [8]

Breeding

Rufous-tailed hawks have a longer recorded nestling period compared to other species of Buteo. [9] Rufous-tailed and red-tailed hawks have around the same nestling periods: around 49 days for rufous-tailed hawks [9] compared to 45–46 days for red-tailed hawks. [10] The egg clutch size of a rufous-tailed hawk has only been reported to between 1-3 eggs in a nest. [11]

Threats

Rufous-tailed hawks are threatened by many factors, especially habitat loss. Rufous-tailed hawks have been losing their habitat because of logging, over grazing by sheep and cattle, and the growth of Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations. [1] Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus are fast-growing invasive plants that were introduced in order to spur the timber industry in Chile. [12] The other main threat to rufous-tailed hawks are local people, who sometimes kill these birds because rufous-tailed hawks attack and eat their domesticated animals. [11]

Population estimates

Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001) estimated the population size to be around 100 individuals. [4] In 2001, the IUCN ranked them at only "low risk". They were only listed as "vulnerable" in 2015 because the IUCN estimated the population to be around 299-999 mature individuals and a total of around 375-1499 individuals. [1] If the total number of individuals drops lower than 1000, then they will be designated as "endangered" by the IUCN. But a more accurate and current population estimate is still need to get a better understanding of what danger the rufous-tailed hawk is truly in.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

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Sharp-shinned hawk Species of bird

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Red-tailed hawk Species of bird

The red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk", though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. The bird is sometimes also referred to as the red-tail for short, when the meaning is clear in context. Red-tailed hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within their range, occurring on the edges of non-ideal habitats such as dense forests and sandy deserts. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields, and urban areas. Its latitudinal limits fall around the tree line in the subarctic and the species is absent from the high Arctic. Generally it favors varied habitats with open woodland, woodland edge and open terrain. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico, and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Ferruginous hawk Species of bird

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Broad-winged hawk Species of bird

The broad-winged hawk is a medium-sized hawk of the genus Buteo. During the summer, some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the Neotropics from Mexico south to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year residents on Caribbean islands. As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Broad-winged hawks' wings are relatively short and broad with a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance. The two types of coloration are a dark morph with fewer white areas and a light morph that is more pale overall. Although the broad-winged hawk's numbers are relatively stable, populations are declining in some parts of its breeding range because of forest fragmentation.

Ridgways hawk Species of hawk endemic to Hispaniola

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Galapagos hawk Species of bird

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Magellanic woodpecker Species of bird

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Mountain buzzard Species of bird

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Bicolored hawk Species of bird

The bicolored hawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in forest, woodland, second growth, plantations, and wooded savanna in southeastern Mexico, Central America, and northern and central South America. Though generally uncommon, it is the most common species of Accipiter in most of its range, but it does not occur at altitudes above 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) such as the highest parts of the Andes.

Rufous-breasted sparrowhawk Species of bird

The rufous-breasted sparrowhawk, also known as the rufous-chested sparrowhawk and as the red-breasted sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Chucao tapaculo Species of bird

The chucao tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in central Chile and adjacent Argentina; it has also been recorded in Chile's Magallanes Province.

Chilean hawk Species of bird

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Ceará gnateater Species of bird

The Ceará gnateater or Caatinga gnateater is a passerine bird of the gnateater family, Conopophagidae. It is found in forest understory and bushes in northeastern Brazil.

Variable hawk Species of bird

The variable hawk is a polymorphic species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

Red-shouldered hawk Species of bird

The red-shouldered hawk is a medium-sized hawk. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. It is a permanent resident throughout most of its range, though northern birds do migrate, mostly to central Mexico. The main conservation threat to the widespread species is deforestation.

Short-tailed hawk Species of bird

The short-tailed hawk is an American bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles and Old World vultures. As a member of the genus Buteo, it is not a true hawk and thus also referred to as a "buteo" or "buzzard". The white-throated hawk is a close relative and was formerly included in the species B. brachyurus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2016). "Buteo ventralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22695936A93535276. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695936A93535276.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. Gould, J. and Darwin, C.R. (1839) Birds Part 3 No. 2 of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. Smith Elder and Co, London. Available at: http://darwin-online.org.uk
  3. "Rufous-tailed hawk videos, photos and facts - Buteo ventralis". Arkive. Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  4. 1 2 3 Ferguson-Lees, J. and Christie, D.A. (2001) Raptors of the World: An Identification Guide to the Birds of Prey of the World. Houghton Mifflin, New York.
  5. Gelain, M. A. & Trejo, A. (2001) Nuevos registros del Aguilucho Cola Rojiza (Buteo ventralis) en la Patagonia Argentina. Hornero16: 97–99.
  6. Blake, E.R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical birds. Vol. 1. Spheniscidae (penguins) to Laridae (gulls and terns). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.
  7. Venegas and Jory (1979), cited in "Buteo ventralis". www.globalraptors.org. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  8. 1 2 Figueroa, R., J.E. Jiménez, C.E. Bravo, E.S. Corales. 2000. The diet of the Hawk (Buteo ventralis) during the breeding season in southern Chile. Ornitologia Neotropical
  9. 1 2 Norambuena, H. V., V. Raimilla, and J. E. Jimenez. 2012. Breeding behavior of a pair of Rufous-tailed Hawks (Buteo ventralis) in southern Chile. Journal of Raptor Research46:211-215.
  10. Fitch, H. S., Swenson, and Tillotson. 1946. Behavior and food habits of the Red-tailed hawk. Condor 48:205–237
  11. 1 2 Rivas-Fuenzalida, T., J. Medel, and R. A. Figueroa. 2011. Reproducción del aguilucho colarojiza (Buteo ventralis) en remanentes de bosque lluvioso templado de la Araucanía, sur de Chile. Ornitología Neotropical22:405–420
  12. "Growth in Chile's plantations may have spelled growth in poverty - CIFOR Forests News". CIFOR Forests News. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2018-04-25.