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White Hawk - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 16:38, 22 May 2009 by KCFoggin (talk | contribs)
Leucopternis albicollis
Photo by: Dave B Smith
Photo taken: Trinidad

Identification

46-56 cm. White head, body and underwings, black upper wings, very short black tail with a broad white band. The bill is black and the legs are yellow.

The sexes are similar, but females are larger and heavier. Immature birds have extensive black spotting on the upperparts and dark-streaked whitish underparts.

Distribution

Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.

Taxonomy

There are four subspecies:

L. a. ghiesbreghti - southern Mexico to Nicaragua; white, black markings on the outer primaries, black sub-terminal tail bar, yellow eyes.

L. a. costaricensis - Honduras, Panama and Colombia; distinct black markings on the wings and tail, brown eyes.

L. a. williaminae - north-western Colombia and western Venezuela; wing feathers heavily marked with black, black streaks on the crown and collar, broader tail band, brown eyes.

The nominate race, L. a. albicollis, - northern Colombia, central Venezuela to Brazil; smaller than the northern forms, black wings with white markings, black tail band extending to base of tail, brown eyes.

Habitat

Lowland forests and woodland.

Behaviour

The diet includes reptiles, insects and mammals.

It builds a large stick platform nest in a tree and 1 dark-blotched blue-white egg is laid.

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