Haiti buzzard

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Haiti buzzard
Ridgway's hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) (8082826285) .jpg

Haiti Buzzard ( Buteo ridgwayi )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Birds of prey (Accipitriformes)
Family : Hawk species (Accipitridae)
Subfamily : Buzzard-like (buteoninae)
Genre : Buzzards ( buteo )
Type : Haiti buzzard
Scientific name
Buteo ridgwayi
( Cory , 1883)

The Haiti buzzard ( Buteo ridgwayi ) is a bird of prey belonging to the buzzard genus , native to Haiti and the Dominican Republic . The art epithet honors the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway .

description

The Haiti buzzard is a 36 to 41 centimeter tall bird of prey from the hawk family . The head and top of the adult birds are brown-gray. A gray-banded underside with rust-brown thighs contrasts with a black-and-white banded tail. The male has a more intense gray color than the female. It has a light rust-brown shoulder that is tinted brown in the females. The female is lighter and more banded underneath. The young birds have a brownish white underside with gray and brown stripes. Their tail is less marked. Its reputation is shrill.

distribution

The Haiti buzzard is native to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the small offshore islands Gonâve , Grande Cayamite , Beata and Île-à-Vache . It is believed to have died out on the latter. An earlier report from Culebra shows that it was more widespread in the past. The only remaining population now lives in Los Haitises National Park in the northeast of the Dominican Republic.

Habitat and way of life

Its habitat are undisturbed forests at an altitude of up to 2000 m above sea level. He prefers rainforests, subtropical cloud forests, pine forests and karst forests. Occasionally it can be found in secondary forests and in agricultural regions. Its diet consists of small mammals, birds, lizards and snakes. From February to March, nests are built in the tops of tall trees (e.g. palm trees). The breeding season is from March to April.

Danger

With a population of only 120 pairs (as of 2006), this buzzard is one of the most endangered birds of prey in the world. It is acutely threatened with extinction because its habitat had to give way to sheep pastures and coffee plantations. He is also still being hunted.

literature

  • Ferguson-Lees, James & David A. Christie 2001: Raptors of the world . Helmet, london.

Web links