Gray Hawk (us-RGV)
From WikiBird
Contents |
Regional Information
Range, Abundance, and Seasonal Variations
Directions and Maps
General Information
Size
Length: 46-61cm (??in), Wingspan: ??cm (??in), Weight: 475g.
Field Marks
Small buteo with broad, rounded wings, hooked beak, short broad tail, yellow legs and cere. Sexes similar. Adult: Gray upperparts, underparts barred gray and white. Dark tail with two white bands, one wider than the other. White uppertail coverts, pale underwings. Immature: Dark brown upperparts, underparts heavily streaked, white supercilium contrasting with dark eyeline. Dark malar streak, brown tail with numerous darker bands.
Similar species
Gray and white plumage of adult similar only to adult male Hook-billed Kite but kite has larger bill, more boldly marked primaries, and darker underwings. Immature Gray Hawk is similar to immature Broad-winged Hawk and immature accipiters but has white uppertail coverts, stronger face pattern, and more bands on the tail.
Sounds
The call is a shrill whistled kleee-ooo.
Feeding & Behavior
Feeds mainly on lizards and snakes, but will also take small mammals, birds and frogs. It usually sits on an open high perch from which it swoops on its prey, but will also hunt from a low glide.
Habitat & Nesting
Open country and forest edges. The nest is of sticks and built high in a tree. The usual clutch is one to three, usually two white eggs, pale blue with red markings. The young take about 6 weeks to fledging.
Range
Breeds from the southwestern USA and Mexico south to Bolivia, Brazil and central Argentina. It is fairly common on Trinidad, and there have been recent sightings on Tobago.
Resources
