The gray-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. The species has been split by the American Ornithological Society from the gray hawk. The gray-lined hawk is found from El Salvador to Argentina, as well as on the Caribbean island of Trinidad.
Description
The gray-lined hawk is in length and weighs average. The adult has a pale gray body, the tail is black with three white bands and the legs are orange. It has fine white barring on the upper parts.
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.
Diet
It feeds mainly on
and
, but will also take
(such as
and
), small
(such as
,
and
mice),
(such as
and nestling
),
,
, other
and
fish.
It usually sits on an open high perch from which it swoops on its prey, but will also hunt from a low glide.
Breeding
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.
[ The young take about 6 weeks to fledging.
]
-
ffrench, Richard; O'Neill, John Patton & Eckelberry, Don R. (1991): A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd edition). Comstock Publishing, Ithaca, N.Y..
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Hilty, Steven L. (2003): Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London.
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Stiles, F. Gary & Skutch, Alexander Frank (1989): A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Comistock, Ithaca.
