- Buteo jamaicensis
Identification
A large stocky hawk that has a typical light-phase with a whitish breast and rust-colored tail. Young birds are duller, more streaked and lack rust-colored tail of the adult, instead showing a light brown tail wih some dark barring. They are told apart from Red-shouldered Hawk and Swainson's Hawk by their white chest, stocky build, and broader, more rounded wings. This species is quite variable in colour, especially in the West, where blackish individuals occur; these oftn retain a rusty or reddish tail. One of the most reliable indicators is dark leading edges of the wings, seen in flight.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia-> Phylum: Chordata-> Class: Aves -> Order: Falconiformes-> Family: Accipitridae-> Genus: Buteo -> Species: B. jamaicensis
Five races: Krider's (krideri) is a pink-tailed Great Plains race; borealis in the east, fuertesi in the Southwest, calurus in the west, and Harlon's Hawk, harlani, a very dark morph easily confused with the Swainson's Hawk.
Habitat
Woodland edges, and plains.
Behaviour
Its diet includes small to medium mammals, lizards, frogs, worms, insects, bats, and small birds.