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Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk - BirdForum Opus

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Accipiter rhodogaster

Identification

26-33cm. A small Accipiter.

  • upperparts slate-back
  • wings short, rounded
  • tail relatively short, square-ended
  • thighs grey
  • toes long and slender
  • bill larger than other Accipiters in range
  • iris yellow, eyering yellow to lime-green, cere lime-green (yellowish in juveniles)

Females are up to 35% larger than males and browner black above with paler vinous underparts and more grey mottling on throat, abdomen and thighs.

Similar species

Adult plumage very similar to Dwarf Sparrowhawk and Spot-tailed Sparrowhawk. The latter has a longer tail, lead-grey upperparts and vinous-red underparts.

Distribution

Endemic to Sulawesi and adjacent islands, Indonesia.
An uncommon but probably overlooked species.

Taxonomy

Three subspecies recognized:

  • A. r. rhodogaster on Sulawesi
  • A. r. butonensis on Muna and Butung islands (off Sulawesi)
  • A. r. sulaensis on Banggai and Sula islands (off Sulawesi)

The validity of butonensis has been questioned and the population of sulaensis on Peleng might belong to the nominate subspecies.

Habitat

Moist lowland forests, mangrove forests, and moist montanes. Also in cultivated areas with some woodlands and around forest villages.
Occurs from sea-level up to 2000 m.

Behaviour

An unobtrusive species, hard to see.

Diet

Feeds on insects, lizards, squirrels, mice and small birds. Birds are probably the main diet.

Breeding

Few information available. An active nest was attended in March / early April on Peleng. It was a rounded structure made of dead twigs and placed in the fork of a broadleaved tree, around 15 m above the ground.

Movements

Presumably a sedentary species.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2016)

Recommended Citation

External Links

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