Fish Buzzard

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fish Buzzard
Fish Buzzard.jpg

Buzzard ( Busarellus nigricollis )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Birds of prey (Accipitriformes)
Family : Hawk species (Accipitridae)
Subfamily : Buzzard-like (buteoninae)
Genre : Busarellus
Type : Fish Buzzard
Scientific name of the  genus
Busarellus
Lesson , 1843
Scientific name of the  species
Busarellus nigricollis
( Latham , 1790)
Aerial image of the buzzard
Fish buzzard in take-off
The fish buzzard often hunts from perch

The fish buzzard ( Busarellus nigricollis ) is a bird of prey from the subfamily of the buzzard-like (Buteoninae), the distribution of which extends from the extreme south of North America through Central America and large parts of tropical South America . It feeds mainly on fish that it catches from the shallow water. The species is quite common in many places in South America.

description

portrait

With a body length between 45.5 and 58 cm and a wingspan of 115 to 143 cm, the fish buzzard is about the same size as a common buzzard . Males weigh between 391 and 717 g, females between 580 and 829 g. The species is strongly built with a relatively small head. The flight pattern is characterized by long, very broad and rounded wings with bulging arm wings and a strikingly short tail, which is often fanned out. The sexes hardly differ; On average, females are usually only 6%, but at most up to 15% larger than males.

In adult birds, the iris is reddish brown and the wax skin is blackish gray. They are predominantly reddish cinnamon-colored on the top, and slightly lighter cinnamon-colored pinnate on the underside. The cream-colored to white head and a black half-ring on the front neck contrasts with this. Parietal and nape plumage are interspersed with narrow, dark shaft lines. On the back, shoulders and upper wing coverts there are scattered broader black shaft stripes. The wrist wings are black, the arm wings and control feathers are banded dark on a cinnamon red background and wear a wide black subterminal band. There is also a narrow whitish end border on the control springs. Feet and legs are bluish white to pale flesh-colored.

The plumage of adult birds can already be recognized in their youthful dress. However, the head is darker beige and more dashed, the dark neck ring more diffuse and wider. The upper side is dull reddish brown with coarse blackish spots on the back and upper wing. The underside is cinnamon beige with a light, evenly or sparsely dark dashed chest and a dark, cross-banded belly on a cinnamon-colored background.

In the second year the birds resemble the adult dress more closely. However, the underside and wing markings are spotty, the leg fletching is darkly banded and the dark tail band is narrower.

The species is the only one of its genus and differs from other buzzard species, among other things, in its thorny soles and toes as well as the strongly curved claws - features that are reminiscent of the osprey . In contrast to this, the plumage is not water-repellent, so that birds that are immersed in the water beyond their legs have to dry themselves for a long time. Sometimes the plumage can soak itself up with water that the birds have to swim to the shore to save themselves.

distribution

The neotropical distribution area of ​​the fish buzzard extends from the extreme south of North America to Central America, where it is rather rare, to large parts of tropical South America. Here it is widespread east of the Andes and can be quite common locally.

In Mexico the area extends from southern Veracruz and Campeche to the Yucatán peninsula and on the Pacific coast from Sinaloa to Chiapas . In Central America, the species occurs in Guatemala , Belize , El Salvador , Honduras , Nicaragua , Costa Rica and Panama . In South America, the western border of the distribution extends through Colombia and the east of Ecuador , over the eastern part of Peru and Bolivia as well as the north-east of Argentina to northern Uruguay . To the east of this border the species is only absent in the mountainous regions of Guiana and in northwestern Brazil. In Trinidad it appears scattered.

Geographic variation

Two subspecies are recognized, of which the widespread nominate form is smaller and has a rather beige feathered head, while the southern subspecies is larger and more white-headed.

  • B. n. Nigricollis ( Latham , 1790) - from Central America south to Bolivia and southern Brazil
  • B. n. Leucocephalus ( Vieillot , 1816) - eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and northern Uruguay

habitat

The fish buzzard occurs in bodies of fresh and brackish water, which are mainly located in the lowlands. It colonizes a variety of landscape types, ranging from wooded areas to open landscapes . It can be found in mangrove forests , extensive swamp landscapes, rice fields, on drainage ditches along roads, on forest streams, ponds and ponds and also on the swampy Amazonian river islands . What is important is the presence of shallow still waters or oxbow lakes with slow flow speeds, which often have pronounced floating leaf vegetation. The altitude distribution is mostly below 500 m, rarely it extends up to 1500 m.

nutrition

With fish and aquatic plants

The fish buzzard feeds mainly on fish such as the traíra , but occasionally also on frogs, young birds, snails or large insects such as giant bugs . Small mammals, birds or lizards are also rarely hunted, and in one case a caiman around 40 cm long was found to be prey.

The fish buzzard usually hunts from a hide on the bank such as overhanging branches, stakes or bushes. He can slide a short distance and grabs the prey with the help of the prickly catches from the shallow water or from the floating leaf vegetation. Occasionally this also happens from gliding. The prey is then usually carried to a control room about 100 to 300 m away. A brief field study found that 57% of hunting attempts were successful.

Reproduction

The breeding season in Suriname is between June and December, in Guyana and Colombia in April and in Paraguay and northern Argentina in August or September.

The sometimes quite large clumps consist of twigs and are probably lined with fresh leaves. They are about 12-15 m high or higher in large trees, which are often located near water. It is often nested in mangrove forests , sometimes in coffee plantations under shade trees . Apparently the nest is sometimes reused in subsequent years. The clutch consists of 1–2 eggs.

hikes

The fish buzzard is mostly a resident bird . However, in the event of drought or low water levels, dismigration can occur. On the Paraguay River , the species is particularly common in June.

Duration

The fish buzzard is not threatened. In the northern part of its distribution it is generally rather rare, in South America, however, it is often quite common in suitable habitats. Regionally, however, it can only occur in a scattered manner there, for example in southern Brazil. In Central America, the stock is in some cases declining due to drainage and increasing land use.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Ferguson-Lees / Christie (2001), p. 639, see literature
  2. ↑ Distribution map in Bierregaard et al. (1994/2013), see literature, as well as IUCN, see web links
  3. ^ C. Alves de Magalhães: Comportamento alimentar de Busarellus nigricollis no pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brasil , Ararajuba 1, 1990, pp. 119-120 cited in Bierregaard et al. (1994/2013), see literature

Web links

Commons : Buzzard ( Busarellus nigricollis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files