The Ridgway's Hawk is a Critically Endangered bird of prey endemic to the island of Hispaniola. Since 2002, the Ridgway's Hawk Project has been fighting to save this species in the Dominican Republic. The program involves several components, including research, assisted dispersal, and education.
The town of Los Limones is located outside of Los Haitises National Park, where the Project has been working with the community for almost 20 years on Ridgway Hawk conservation. As a part of the Project's outreach, a local youth baseball team was named Los Gavilanes, to honor the species, Gavilan in Spanish. Friends of the Ridgway's Hawk Project donated uniforms to the kids, which feature a Birdorable profile image of the namesake species!
The Black-and-chestnut Eagle is a large species of eagle found in mountain habitat across a small range in South America, from Argentina to Venezuela. They are named for their striking black and chestnut plumage, which is complemented by white under the wings and a white stripe on the tail. These birds also have a head crest which is typically in the raised position, even while in flight. The crest may be lowered if the bird is experiencing stress or fear.
Black-and-chestnut Eagles are considered to be Endangered, mainly due to habitat loss. As they are known to eat large birds, including domestic fowl, they also face persecution from farmers.
Tomorrow's new bird will be a small sparrow with a widespread distribution over much of North America. Can you guess the species?
As 2017 winds down, it's time for us to reveal some new birds as part of our annual Birdorable Bonanza! This time we'll introduce 12 birds, from November 24th through December 5th.
The Black-and-white Hawk Eagle is a large species of raptor found in forested habitats across parts of South and Central America. They hunt a variety of prey items, usually while soaring at fairly high altitude.
Black-and-white Hawk-Eagles are named for their contrasting plumage. The head and chest are white while the back, wings, and markings around the eye are black.
Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle by Dick Culbert
Tomorrow our Bonanza will continue with a new bird in the corvid family, named for one of its favorite foods. Can you guess the species?
Today our Birdorable Bonanza: 2015 Advent Edition continues with the largest bird of prey found in Australia, the Wedge-tailed Eagle!
Wedge-tailed Eagles are named for the unique shape of their tails. Across their range, which includes all of mainland Australia as well as Tasmania and southern New Guinea, they are fairly common. In fact, they are the most common of the world's large eagle species.
Wedge-tailed Eagle by Ron Knight (CC BY 2.0)
Wedge-tailed Eagle by James Niland (CC BY 2.0)
Wedge-tailed Eagle by Patrick_K59 (CC BY 2.0)
Wedge-tailed Eagles are non-migratory and established mated pairs will defend their territory throughout the year, even outside of breeding season. Earlier this year a territorial Wedge-tailed Eagle was captured on video taking down a drone.
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The Wedge-tailed Eagle is our 622nd Birdorable bird and our 44th cute Birdorable bird of prey. Our Bonanza continues tomorrow with an unusual Asian forest species with fire in its name. Can you guess tomorrow's species?
Kites belong in the Accipitridae* family of birds of prey. They are divided into two subfamilies. Elaninae kites are sometimes considered to be "hovering kites" and are generally smaller in size. Milvinae kites may be known as "soaring kites" and tend to be larger birds.
There are approximately 22 recognized species of kite in the world. Eight belong to the Elaninae subfamily, while 14 are Milvinae kites.
Not all kites are called "kites". The Bat Hawk of Africa and Asia is an Elaninae kite with a falcon-like profile and a preference for dining on bats. The Black-breasted Buzzard of Australia is an eagle-like bird that is sometimes considered to belong in a different family or subfamily altogether.
Three different raptors in the subfamily Perninae are called kites, though they are not closely related to the other kites. They are the Grey-headed Kite, White-collared Kite, and Hook-billed Kite.
Some kites are migratory, while others are year-round residents throughout their range. The Mississippi Kite, for example, breeds across the southeastern United States and winters as far south as Argentina, while the Snail Kite is a permanent resident across its range.
Kites are found on all continents except for Antarctica.
Black Kites are found on four continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. They are common throughout their range and may be the most abundant species of raptor in the world.
Most kite species lack global population concern, though some species have local issues (like the Snail Kite in Florida). The Letter-winged Kite of Australia and the Red Kite of Europe and Africa both have a conservation status of Near Threatened.
Red Kite by Tony Hisgett [CC BY 2.0]
In most kite species, adult birds all look alike. An exception to this rule is the Snail Kite. Male Snail Kites are mostly dark blue-grey, while females are brown with streaked underparts.
* Note that different taxonomical classifications may organize these and other birds in another way. As scientists learn more about birds and DNA, changes are noted and accepted and eventually integrated or rejected by various naming organizations and protocols.
The Saker Falcon is one of our newest additions to Birdorable. The falcon, which is almost as large as the Gyrfalcon, breeds across parts of eastern Europe and much of central Asia. They prefer open plains and desert-type habitats and hunt by horizontal pursuit unlike the Peregrine Falcon that hovers and stoops down from great heights.
Saker Falcons are beautiful birds, with brown upperparts and contrasting grey flight feathers. The head and underparts are paler brown, with streaking from the breast down. The birds are excellent hunters and often take on prey that is larger than itself. Because they are so swift and powerful they are a popular falconry bird and have been used by humans in hunting for thousands of years.
In the Arabian Peninsula falconry is an integral part of desert life and Saker Falcons are the favorite bird of many Arab falconers. The birds are trapped in Arab countries on their migration to the Middle East or caught throughout Asia and sold to the Middle Eastern falcon market. Unfortunately this is one of the reasons the bird has been put on the endangered species list. Thousands of falcons are caught every year and sold illegally on the black market. In addition the species is facing pressure from habitat loss and destruction.
In contrast, the bird is strongly protected in Hungary, where it is the national bird. Even though Saker Falcons are relatively abundant in Hungary, numbers are still low; the estimated total European population in 2010 was just 450 pairs, with 40% of these in Hungary and Slovakia. The Middle East Falcon Research Group has a nice table with estimated breeding populations in each country.
Check out these websites for more information about the Saker Falcon:
