Grey Hawk

Taxobox
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
name = Grey Hawk/Grey-lined Hawk


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Falconiformes
familia = Accipitridae
genus = "Asturina "
species = "A. nitidus"
binomial = "Asturina nitidus"
binomial_authority = (Latham, 1790)
subdivision_ranks = Synonyms
subdivision =
*"Asturina nitida"
*"Asturina plagiata"
*"Buteo plagiatus"

The Grey Hawk or Grey-lined Hawk ("Buteo nitidus") is a smallish raptor found in open country and forest edges. It is sometimes placed in the genus "Asturina" as "Asturina nitida".

It 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.

The Grey Hawk is 46-61 cm in length and weighs 475 g on average. The adult has a pale grey body, the tail is black with three white bands and the legs are orange. The population from southeastern Pacific Costa Rica to Brazil and Argentina has fine white barring on the upper parts; the northern population is darker overall and uniformly grey above. It is sometimes split as the separate species "Buteo plagiatus" (or "Asturina plagiata"; the Grey Hawk proper), but the vocalisations of the "grey" and the "grey-lined" populations are identical.

Immature birds have dark brown upperparts, a pale-banded brown tail, brown-spotted white underparts and a brown streaked buff head and neck. This species is quite short-winged, and has a fast agile flight for a "Buteo". The call is a shrill whistled "kleee-ooo".

"Buteo nitidus" 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. The nest is of sticks and built high in a tree. The usual clutch is one to three, usually two white to pale blue eggs. [cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Asturina_nitida.html|title=Animal Diversity (Asturina nitida)|accessdate=2008-06-26] The young take about 6 weeks to fledging.

When "Buteo plagiatus" was still considered a good species, it was also listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. [E.g. Baillie "et al." (2004), BirdLife International (2004b).] In the 2007 Red List, it is united with "B. nitidus".

Footnotes

References

* (2004): "2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A Global Species Assessment." IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. ISBN 2-8317-0826-5
*|year=2004a|id=49426|title=Asturina nitida|downloaded=05 December 2006
*
* (1991): "A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago" (2nd edition). Comstock Publishing, Ithaca, N.Y.. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2
* (2003): "Birds of Venezuela". Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
* (1989): "A guide to the birds of Costa Rica". Comistock, Ithaca. ISBN 0-8014-9600-4