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Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus)

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Least Concern

Overview

The short-tailed hawk (Buteo brachyurus) is an American bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, also known as a buteo or buzzard. It is a year-round resident, though the Florida population migrates to the southern tip of the state in winter.

Habitat

This species breeds in the tropical and subtropical Americas, ranging from southeastern Brazil and northern Argentina north through Central America to the Mexico-Arizona border and southern Florida. It is generally found below 1,400 m ASL, with a strong preference for wooded savannah, patchy woodlands near water, cypress swamps, and mangrove swamps.

Diet

It is primarily an aerial predator that preys on smaller birds, such as ground doves, warblers, and icterids, which make up the bulk of the diet in Florida. Tropical populations also consume significant amounts of frogs, lizards, snakes, and large insects, while occasionally supplementing their diet with small mammals.

Did you know?

The bird is quite difficult to detect when perched because it is often concealed by dense canopy or shows only its head, unlike most other Buteo hawks that prefer prominent perches.

Sources