Short-tailed Hawk
| Short-tailed Hawk | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Buteo brachyurus Vieillot, 1816 |
Short-tailed Hawk breeds in tropical America from northern Argentina and the temperate zone of the Andes to central Mexico. There is also a population in southern Florida, USA. It is a short-distance migrant with birds moving from the less tropical parts of the range in winter.
This species is associated with woodland, often near water. The large stick nest is built in a tree, often a cypress, but the Florida race frequently uses mangroves. The 1-3 eggs are white, usually with dark spots and blotches.
Short-tailed Hawk is a small buzzard, 40cm long with a 90cm wingspan. It.has broad rounded wings, held upwards while soaring, and a short broad tail. It occurs in two colour morphs, although the dark form is rare or non-existent in the South American part of its range.
The adult light morph has dark brown upperparts. The underparts are white, except that the tail and flight feathers are barred with dark. The immature is similar to the adult but the face is streaked rather than white, and the tail bands are of equal width, whereas the adult has a broad bar near near the tail tip.
The adult dark morph has black-brown upperparts and underparts, apart from the tail and flight feathers, which are white barred with dark. The young bird has the same tail pattern as the light morph immature, and the underparts are spotted with white.
The call of this species is a high-pitched scream similar to other buzzards. This bird eats mainly rodents, birds, lizards and large insects.