- Buteo lineatus
Identification
Males 43 to 58 cm. Females 48 to 61 cm.
- Brown head
- Red chest
- Pale belly with reddish bars
- Narrow tail marked with narrow white bars
- Red "shoulder" is visible when the bird is perched
- Upper parts dark with pale spots
- Long yellow legs
Distribution
Eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern Mexico.
Taxonomy
North American subspecies:
- B. l. lineatus -- Eastern race
- B. l. alleni -- Southeastern race
- B. l. extimus -- Southern Florida race
- B. l. elegans -- California race
- B. l. texanus -- Central Texas race
Habitat
Deciduous and mixed wooded areas, often near water.
Behaviour
A stick nest is built in a major fork of a large tree and 3 to 4 blotchy marked eggs are laid. They are incubated for 28 to 33 days. The young leave the nest at about six weeks of age, but remain dependent on the parents until they are 17 to 19 weeks old.
Diet includes voles, mice and chipmunks, amphibians, reptiles (especially small snakes), small birds and large insects.
