Biology:Rufous-tailed hawk
| Rufous-tailed hawk | |
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| Buteo ventralis in Aysén, Chile | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Buteo |
| Species: | B. ventralis
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| Binomial name | |
| Buteo ventralis Gould, 1837
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The rufous-tailed hawk (Buteo ventralis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
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 prairies.[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]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 BirdLife International (2016). "Buteo ventralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22695936A93535276. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695936A93535276.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695936/93535276. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "Rufous-tailed hawk videos, photos and facts - Buteo ventralis" (in en-GB). https://www.arkive.org/rufous-tailed-hawk/buteo-ventralis/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 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.
- ↑ Gelain, M. A. & Trejo, A. (2001) Nuevos registros del Aguilucho Cola Rojiza (Buteo ventralis) en la Patagonia Argentina. Hornero 16: 97–99.
- ↑ Blake, E.R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical birds. Vol. 1. Spheniscidae (penguins) to Laridae (gulls and terns). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.
- ↑ Venegas and Jory (1979), cited in "Buteo ventralis". http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/SpeciesResults.asp?specID=8022.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 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 Research 46:211-215.
- ↑ Fitch, H. S., Swenson, and Tillotson. 1946. Behavior and food habits of the Red-tailed hawk. Condor 48:205–237
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 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 Neotropical 22:405–420
- ↑ "Growth in Chile's plantations may have spelled growth in poverty - CIFOR Forests News" (in en-US). CIFOR Forests News. 2015-10-06. https://forestsnews.cifor.org/34622/growth-in-chiles-plantations-may-have-spelled-growth-in-poverty?fnl=en.
Wikidata ☰ Q1262855 entry
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