Includes Bay-winged Hawk
- Parabuteo unicinctus
Identification
Length 45–59 cm (17¾-23¼ in), WS 107cm (42"), Wt. 900gm (2lb).
Blackish brown plumage with chestnut forewings (above and below) and thighs. The end of the tail and the rump are white, with distinctive black band between.
Females are typically 10% larger than males. Juveniles are similar in appearance, but have streaking common in this family.
Variations
The southernmost form (Bay-winged Hawk) remains streaked on underside and paler, streaked head even as adult, and is fairly pale on underside as juvenile.
Distribution
Sonoran desert of the southwest USA and Mexico, Baja Penisula, Gulf Coast from central coastline of Texas southward through Mexico to Chile and Argentina. This species is absent from much of eastern South America
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecie[1]:
- P. u. harrisi in arid south-western US to Pacific slope of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
- P. u. unicinctus (Bay-winged Hawk) in East Colombia and Venezuela to Brazil, southern Argentina and southern Chile; this form does not perform the team hunting described below.
An additional subspecies P. u. superior in Baja California, Arizona, Sonora, and Sinaloa is not generally recognised[2].
Habitat
Sparse woodland and semi-desert, as well as marshes.
Behaviour
Diet
An unusual behavior in its family is team hunting; birds will cooperate in taking prey, often taking perches in what seems like a strategic manner to confuse and herd its prey before one of the group strikes. This allows it to take larger prey such as jackrabbits. Teams can comprise 2 to 6 individuals. Other prey includes rodents, lizards, and birds.
Breeding
They nest in a tree; the clutch consisting of 2–4 eggs which are incubated for 28 days.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Peregrine Fund
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Harris's Hawk. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Harris%27s_Hawk