Ridgway's Hawk

The Haiti - buzzard (Buteo ridgwayi ) is a bird of prey from the kind of buzzards, native to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The specific epithet honors the ornithologist Robert Ridgway U.S..

Description

The Haiti - buzzard is a 36 to 41 centimeter large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The head and the top is brown gray in the adult birds. A gray banded bottom with tan legs contrasted with a black-and- white banded tail. The male has a gray color more intense than the female. It has a bright rust-brown shoulder that is tinted brown in females. The female is at hand, brighter and stronger banded. The young birds have a braungelbstichige white underside with gray and brown stripes. The tail is less marked in them. His reputation is shrill.

Dissemination

The Haiti Buzzard is based in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the small islands Gonâve, Grande Cayamite, Beata and Ile- à -Vache. In the latter he is probably extinct. An earlier report from Culebra shows that he had used in the past on. The only remaining population now lives in Los Haitises National Park in the north- east of the Dominican Republic

Habitat and behavior

Its habitat is undisturbed forests at an altitude up to 2000 m above sea level. He prefers rain forests, subtropical cloud forests, pine forests and karst forests. Occasionally you can find him in the secondary forest and in agricultural regions. Its diet consists of small mammals, birds, lizards and snakes. From February to March (eg palms) are built nests in the tops of tall trees. The breeding season is from March to April.

Endangering

This buzzard is one with a population of only 120 pairs (as of 2006) to the most vulnerable birds of prey in the world. He is threatened with extinction because its habitat sheep pastures and coffee plantations had to give way. In addition, he is hunted as before.