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Buteo brachyurus

Vieillot, 1816

Short-tailed Hawk

G4Apparently Secure (G4G5) Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105929
Element CodeABNKC19060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAccipitriformes
FamilyAccipitridae
GenusButeo
Other Common Names
Aguililla Cola Corta (ES) Buse à queue courte (FR) Gavião-de-Caudo-Curta (PT) short-tailed hawk (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Suggestions that B. albigula of South American Andes and B. brachyurus are conspecific require confirmation (AOU 1983). Some accounts name three subspecies: B. b. fuliginosus (North American and coastal populations), B. b. brachyurus (South American population), and B. b. albigula (Andean populations above 2100 m).
Conservation Status
Review Date2007-09-17
Change Date1996-11-22
Edition Date2007-09-17
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G., and D. Jackson
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Large range from Florida and Arizona to South America; generally uncommon but fairly common in Mexico and northern Central America; population size probably is at least 500,000 and relatively stable.
Range Extent Comments
Short-tailed hawk is resident locally in peninsular Florida (from St. Marks and San Mateo south to southern Dade County, in winter mostly south of Lake Okeechobee; AOU 1998); and from central Sonora and Tamaulipas in mexico south through Middle America and South America west of the Andes to western Ecuador and east of the Andes to northern Argentina, Paraguay, and southern Brazil (AOU 1998). This species apparently also nests in southeastern Arizona (Troy Cormon, pers. comm., 2005).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations) throughout the wide range. About 43 breeding season locations indicative of nesting have been documented in Florida since 1951 (Millsap et al. 1996).
Threat Impact Comments
In northern and central Florida, nesting habitat has been altered by logging. Threats outside the U.S. are unknown, but habitat alteration probably is a factor.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A small crow-sized hawk with a short tail; two color phases; adults have black upperparts and either all-white or all-black underparts (throat, breast, belly) and wing linings; tail is banded black and white; immatures have either buff underparts with some dark streaks or dark underparts with some buff mottling; average length 39 cm, wingspan 89 cm (NGS 1983). See Johnsgard (1990) for further details.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Adult differs from other southeastern U.S. buteos in being either all black or all white below (throat, breast, belly, and wing linings). Light-morph immature resembles immature broad-winged hawk and may not be separable in the field (Johnsgard 1990).

Habitat

This species occurs in a wide range of habitats. Generally it occupaies open country, from mangrove and cypress swamps to open pine-oak woodland, avoiding heavily forested situations (AOU 1983). It is most common in mixed woodland-savanna habitats (Terres 1980). It hunts over open land.

Nests are in the tops of cypress, pine, or other trees, or in top of mangroves (Terres 1980). Nests may be in dense or open stands of tall trees in either flooded or upland locations, in tall straight trees near near edge of, or at small clearings in, woodlands, or near the tops of trees taller than the surrounding canopy (Palmer 1988), usually at a fork along the major trunk or larger lateral branch. Individuals build a new nest each year or, less often, reuse the same nest in successive years (Palmer 1988).

Reproduction

In southern Florida, nest building occurs primarily early from February to mid-March, most pairs completing nests by mid- to late March. In northern Florida, nest completion may extend into April. In Florida, most eggs are laid from mid-March to mid-April. Elsewhere, reported egg dates include March and May in Trinidad, April and October in Panama, March in Chiapas, and February and early April in Veracruz. Clutch size usually is 2, rarely 3. Incubation lasts about 5 weeks, by female (male provides food). Young are tended by both parents. Limited evidence suggests that at least some yearling females may attempt to nest.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - MixedSavanna
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS1Yes
ArizonaS2Yes
Roadless Areas (3)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
Oracle RoadlessCoronado National Forest22,365
Sierra Ancha Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest7,787
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
References (44)
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