Red-tailed buzzard

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Red-tailed buzzard
Red-tailed buzzard, subspecies Buteo jamaicensis borealis Ruf des Rotschwanzbussard? / I

Red-tailed buzzard, subspecies Buteo jamaicensis borealis Call of the red-tailed buzzard ? / i
Audio file / audio sample

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Birds of prey (Accipitriformes)
Family : Hawk species (Accipitridae)
Genre : Buzzards ( buteo )
Type : Red-tailed buzzard
Scientific name
Buteo jamaicensis
( Gmelin , 1788)

The red-tailed buzzard ( Buteo jamaicensis ) is a species of bird from the genus of the real buzzards ( Buteo ) in the family of the hawk-like (Accipitridae). It is the most common buzzard in North America and feeds on rodents .

description

The red-tailed buzzard has a body length of 45 to 58 centimeters and a wingspan of 107 to 141 centimeters. Males are smaller than females. It has broad, rounded wings and a significantly stronger bill than the Raufußbussard . The plumage is very variable; In the total distribution area, ten subspecies are distinguished, some of which also develop several color morphs.

Adult birds

In adult birds, the base color of the top of the trunk and wings is dark brown; with dark morphs monochrome, with light morphs interspersed with whitish spots. These light spots can be particularly pronounced on the wings and in the area of ​​the middle back and thus form clear, light bands. The tail is unbanded and in the two subspecies with the largest range ( B. j. Borealis and B. j. Calurus ) mostly rust-red on the upper side, pale red underneath with a weak dark subterminal band and a narrow whitish end band.

The underside of the trunk and the under wing coverts are whitish in the lighter morphs. The bow of the wing is dark from the base of the wing to the carpal joint, and the belly usually shows a band of dark longitudinal spots. In the case of darker morphs, the body and the upper side are monochrome brown or reddish. The iris is dark brown to reddish.

Fledglings

Juvenile B.j. calurus in flight ( Squaw Valley , California)

In juvenile birds, in contrast to adult birds, the tail is gray-brown with numerous continuous dark transverse bands, a wider subterminal band and a whitish end band, except for the subspecies Buteo j. harlani . The underside is darkly spotted, the iris light.

Subspecies

  • B. j. borealis - occurs in eastern North America as far as the Great Plains and in the south as far as the coast of the Gulf of Mexico , winters in the south as far as southern Mexico.
  • B. j. calurus - occurs in western North America from Alberta to southern Arizona and New Mexico . One dark and one red-brown morph . These have a dark underside and dark drawing of the wings, which also darken the dark front wing edges and the belly band. The tail is dark reddish.
  • B. j. alascensis - occurs on the coasts of southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Washington , winters in the southwest of the USA.
  • B. j. harlani - breeds in western and central Alaska as well as in Canada in the Yukon and northern British Columbia , winters mainly in the southern United States . It lacks the otherwise typical coloring and drawing of the tail. The dark morph has a dirty-white tail with a diffuse dark subterminal band and a light end band. There are some white vertical stripes on the dark chest. The rest of the bottom is also dark. The light spots of the umbrella feathers and covers of the hand wings can be reduced. The very rare light morph also has this tail coloring and drawing.
  • B. j. fuertesi - occurs in the southwest of the USA, from South Carolina via Texas to the south to northwestern Mexico, has no light-colored belly band and is generally lighter on the underside.
  • B. j. kemsiesii - occurs in the highlands of the extreme south of Mexico and south to northern Nicaragua .
  • B. j. costaricensis - occurs in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama .
  • B. j. socorroensis - occurs on the Socorro Islands west of central Mexico.
  • B. j. hadropus - occurs in the highlands of southern Mexico (from Jalisco south to Oaxaca ).

voice

Call of the red-tailed buzzard

The characteristic call is a rough, descending "kiiieer". The shrill scream is used in popular media such as B. feature films are regularly used as the "standard scream" for various species of birds of prey (such as bald eagles ) and falcons, whose original calls are often less impressive.

habitat

Forests with adjoining open areas, prairies with trees , even deserts .

literature

  • J. Ferguson-Lees, DA Christie: Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London 2001. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1
  • J. Ferguson-Lees, DA Christie: Raptors of the World. Princeton University Press / Christopher Helm, London 2005. ISBN 0-691-12684-4
  • National Geographic Society: Field Guide to the birds of North America. 4th fully rev. and updated Ed., 2002. ISBN 0-7922-6877-6

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bald Eagle: A Mighty Symbol, With A Not-So-Mighty Voice . In: NPR.org . ( npr.org [accessed February 1, 2018]).

Web links

Commons : Red-tailed Buzzard ( Buteo jamaicensis )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files