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Roadside Hawk (immature)

Rupornis magnirostris

Photo by remco.douma
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

Spotted in the wetlands of Arroyo Maldonado near La Barra, Maldonado, Uruguay. The roadside hawk is 31–41 cm long and weighs 250–300 gr. Males are about 20% smaller than females, but otherwise the sexes are similar. In most subspecies, the lower breast and underparts are barred brown and white, and the tail has four or five grey bars. Twelve subspecies are usually recognised and there is significant plumage variation between these. The plumage shows this is an immature bird, but not a juvenile anymore. A juvenile would have had dark eyes without a clear iris.

Habitat:

The roadside hawk is common throughout its range: from Mexico through Central America to most of South America east of the Andes cordillera. It is found from the northern Caribbean coast of South America south to the northeastern parts of Argentina. With the possible exception of dense rainforests, the roadside hawk is well adapted to most ecosystems in its range. It is also an urban bird, and is possibly the most common species of hawk seen in various cities throughout its range – or perhaps just the most conspicuous one, as it becomes aggressive when nesting and has been recorded attacking humans passing near the nest.

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Photographed
PublishedSeptember 2, 2014

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