DOCSLIB.ORG

The Theft of Morton's Hawk, Now Known As Harris's Hawk

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Theft of Morton's Hawk, Now Known As Harris's Hawk The Theft of Morton’s Hawk, Now Known as Harris’s Hawk Matthew R. Halley The northern subspecies of Harris’s Hawk (Para- and the taxa were united under the genus Parabuteo buteo unicinctus harrisi) was described as a new species (Ridgway in Baird et al. 1874: 250). The two popula- (“Louisiana Hawk / Buteo harrisi,” Pl. 392 in The Birds tions have since been treated as sister subspecies. The of America, 1837) by John James Audubon (1785– name harrisi is currently used for the northern sub- 1851), who named it after his friend and benefactor, species and Pl. 392 in The Birds of America (Audu- Edward Harris (1799–1863). Many years after Audu- bon 1837) is cited as the taxonomic authority (Stone bon’s death, B. harrisi was declared conspecific with 1904). The common name Harris’s Hawk is used for Falco unicinctus Temminck, 1824, of South America, the entire complex (AOU 1998). Figure 1. (Above) Digital photograph of ANSP 1166, the probable type specimen of Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi (Audubon). (Below) “Louisiana Hawk Buteo Harrisi,” from the double-elephant folio (Havell) edition of The Birds of America, plate 392 (1837). Image reproduced in black and white courtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove and the Montgomery County Audubon Collection. No. 77 (2017–2018) 27 The Theft of Morton’s Hawk, Now Known as Harris’s Hawk To my knowledge, the extraordinary tale of how engraved for Pl. 76 in The Birds of America (repro- Harris’s Hawk came to be included in The Birds of duced by Halley 2015). There is a simple explanation: America has never been fully researched or explained. the Louisiana Hawk was painted from a stuffed speci- Audubon seems to have wanted it that way. In this men, not a fresh pliable one. paper, I expose contemporaneous primary sources that reveal that Audubon concealed the provenance of Where did Audubon get the specimen? Some his type specimen from his readers, in what appears to authors have claimed that he collected it himself (e.g., have been a deliberate attempt to draw attention away Bent 1937, Turcotte and Watts 1999) although Audu- from the unscrupulous means by which he obtained it. bon stated otherwise in Ornithological biography vol. 5 (1839: 34): Audubon’s published plate of the “Louisiana Hawk / Buteo harrisi” (Pl. 392 in The Birds of America) features “The specimen from which I made my draw- an adult female perched on a bare branch and facing ing, was procured by a gentleman residing in to the left (Figure 1). The plate was based on his origi- Louisiana, who shot it between Bayou Sara nal painting of “Buteo Harrisi” (N-YHS 1863.17.76) and Natchez. A label attached to one of its legs which he signed and dated in graphite (“J.J.A. 1837”). authorizes me to say that it was a female; but The image looks stiff and awkward when compared to I have received no information respecting its other renderings of hawks in Audubon’s portfolio. For habits; nor can I at present give you the name of example, compare the image to Audubon’s painting of the donor, however anxious I am to compliment an immature Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) him upon the valuable addition he has made to diving on Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), our Fauna, by thus enabling me to describe and which was executed more than 10 years earlier and portray it.” In fact, Audubon knew who collected the specimen but concealed it from his readers. It was one of his sub- scribers: John Carmichael Jenkins (1809–55, Figure 2) (see Fries 2006: 189–90). Jenkins was born in Carlisle, PA, and earned a doctorate in Medicine from the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania in 1833. He soon relocated to southern Mississippi to take over the medical practice and business of his uncle, a plantation owner and sla- ver who had lost his sight. Jenkins was elected Corresponding Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) in 1836, at the age of 27. The following notice was penned by Samuel George Morton (1799–1851, Figure 3), then Corresponding Secretary, in his official letter- book: “[Sept.] 27. [1836] Gave the report Diploma of Dr. J. Carmichael Jenkins into his own hands” (ANSP Archives, coll. 80). Jenkins replied to Morton a few days later, with earnest gratitude: “Be so good as to represent to the Society my thanks for this unmerited mark of their regard & to be assured that I shall ever feel the [liveli- Figure 2. John Carmichael Jenkins (1809–55), miniature oil portrait executed c.1840. Reproduced in black and white cour- est] in its welfare & shall at all times use my best tesy of Joseph Stone, proprietor of the Stone House Musical endeavor to promote the interests & objects of Bed & Breakfast in Natchez, MS. the institution.” (ANSP Archives, coll. 567) 28 Cassinia Matthew R. Halley Had it not been for an unlikely event, one decade later, we might not know about this controversy at all. On January 15, 1846, Jenkins collected a second speci- men of Harris’s Hawk in Mississippi and again sent it to Philadelphia, where its arrival was announced at the ANSP on September 1, 1846 (ANSP Archives, coll. 502). Fortunately, by this time Jenkins was keeping a diary: “Shot a Hawk to-day of the species Falco Har- risii or Louisiana hawk of Audubon, see page 30 of Birds of America [i.e., Royal Octavo Edi- tion, 1840]. This bird is very seldom seen in this country and the only specimen now in any museum or cabinets are the two I shot—viz— the first one in October [1836] near Pinck- neyville and which I presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia ... They both were females and full or adult age. Mr. Audubon obtained my first specimen, and described and named it without my knowledge or consent. I Figure 3. Portrait of Samuel George Morton (1799–1851), in- had described and named this beautiful bird tended namesake for the species now known as Harris’s Hawk. after my friend Dr. Morton of Philadelphia.” Image reproduced from Meigs (1851). (LSU Libraries Special Collections, Mss. 141, 142, 184, 187). Jenkins wasted no time in collecting and preparing a series of bird specimens from southern Mississippi for The Theft of Morton’s Hawk the ANSP museum. In that era, it was common prac- At the end of June 1837, after his Gulf Coast expe- tice for Corresponding Members to ship specimens to dition and just before he sailed to London, Audubon Philadelphia from distant localities, with manuscripts “passed rapidly through Baltimore and Philadelphia, describing their discoveries. Such manuscripts would [his] wish being to reach New York as soon as pos- be read before the ANSP members, voted to commit- sible” (Audubon 1838: xx). His traveling companions tee for peer review, and then published in the Journal were his son, John Woodhouse Audubon (1812–62), of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia or and his daughter-in-law Maria, who was the daughter rejected by committee. of Reverend John Bachman (1790–1874). Audubon stopped in Philadelphia for a specific reason, to collect When new species were published without the subscription dues from the ANSP for the latest num- author present, ANSP members passionately defended bers (sets of five plates each) ofThe Birds of America. the discoverer’s rights of authorship (e.g., Townsend Audubon made this clear to Morton in a letter dated 1837). However, when Jenkins’s collection arrived in June 12, 1837: Philadelphia with a new species of hawk and a manu- script naming it Morton’s Hawk (presumably Buteo “When last I saw you at Philadelphia, you were mortoni or Falco mortoni), for inexplicable reasons, the so good to me as to promise to me that you normal protocols were not observed. Before the speci- would attend to the collecting of the amount mens were deposited in the ANSP museum, Audubon due me on my work by the Academy of Natu- mysteriously obtained the specimen and manuscript ral Sciences. I feel at present greatly in want of and took them to Europe, where he rapidly named the funds, and should like much to receive this bal- new species after Harris and then denied knowing the ance during my short stay in your city, which collector of the specimen (see Audubon 1839: 34). I expect to be early next month, previous to No. 77 (2017–2018) 29 The Theft of Morton’s Hawk, Now Known as Harris’s Hawk my embarking for England.—This balance (see Corning 1969). On July 2, 1837, perhaps the same amounted last winter to 195 dollars, up to No. day he visited Morton and acquired the specimen, he 66. and now 60 dollars will have to be added for returned to Moorestown and announced in a letter Nos. 67, 68, 69, 70, 71. which the Academy has to Bachman: “I have a New and Superb Hawk from received lately.” (APS Library, Mss.B.M843) Louisianna [sic] as large as the Caracara Eagle, and somewhat like it in Colours...” (Corning 1969, 2: 162). However, when Audubon arrived in Philadelphia Audubon did not explain how or where he acquired it. in early July, he found that Morton had only been His only mention of Morton in the long and rambling partially successful in collecting dues from the other letter appeared four paragraphs later, in reference to ANSP members. At a meeting of the ANSP on July 4, it financial matters: “Docr Morton is now my Friend and was announced that “the 4th vol.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Application for Non-Resident Raptor Trapping Permit
    Application for Non-Resident Raptor Trapping Permit Please complete this form and return it, along with the permit fee and requested attachments, to: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Wildlife Diversity Permits, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744. All applicants for a Non-Resident Raptor Trapping Permit must possess a permit from their home state equivalent to a Texas Apprentice, General or Master Falconer permit. A non-resident shall not st th trap more than one raptor per year in this state (July 1 – June 30 ). Applicant Name: Home Phone: Office Phone: Street Address: Cell Phone: Driver's License No.: City: State: Zip: Date of Birth: 1 Social Security E-mail Address: Number: 1. This application is for a Non-Resident Raptor Trapping Permit to allow a permitted non-resident apprentice, general or master falconer to take, from the wild in Texas with a valid non-resident hunting license, one of the following species of raptors within the permit year (July 1st – June 30th): Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), Merlin (Falco columbarius), Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), or Caracara (Caracara cheriway). 2. Please attach a copy of your current state falconry permit. 3. Please enclose the $378.00 application and permit fee. (Make checks or money order payable to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) The Texas Administrative Code Raptor Proclamation can be found online at: http://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=31&pt=2&ch=65&sch=K&rl=Y I have read and understand the state regulations titled “Raptor Proclamation” and I will comply with all state and federal laws pertaining to falconry.
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Specialties Western
    REGIONAL SPECIALTIES WESTERN OSPREY 21 - 26” length SOUTHERN . FERRUGINOUS . Eagle sized; clean, white body. HAWK Black wrist marks. 20 - 26” length . Glides with kink (M) in long, narrow wings. MISSISSIPPI . Largest buteo; eagle-like. KITE . Pale below with dark leggings. 13 - 15” length . Mostly white tail; 3 color morphs. Long, pointed wings; slim body. Light body; dark wings; narrow, black tail. Not to scale. Buoyant, acrobatic flight. NORTHERN HARRIER 16 - 20” length PRAIRIE FALCON 14 - 18” length . Long, narrow wings and tail; sharp dihedral. Size of Peregrine; much paler plumage. Brown above, streaked brown below – female. Narrow moustache; spotted breast; long tail. Gray above, pale below with black wing tips – male. Dark armpits and partial wing linings. WING PROFILE IMMATURE BALD EAGLE BALD EAGLE GOLDEN EAGLE . Immature birds vary GOLDEN EAGLE greatly in the amount 27 to 35” length of white spotting on body and wings. White showing on wing linings is surely a Bald Eagle. BALD EAGLE . Like large buteo, curvy wings. Head protrudes much less than tail. Slight dihedral to wing profile. NOTE: Some hawks soar and glide with their wings raised above the horizontal, called a dihedral. 27 to 35” length . Head and tail length similar. Long, flat wings. Straight leading edge to wings. 24 to 28” length This guide developed by Paul Carrier is the property of the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). HMANA is TURKey VUltUre a membership-based, non-profit organization committed to the . Dark wing linings with light flight feathers. conservation of raptors through the scientific study, enjoyment, and . Small head; long tail; sharp dihedral.
    [Show full text]
  • Hawks & Falcons
    [}{]&W[\~ ~ ~&[L©@ ~ ~ --- VERY SPECIAL BIRDS By Jer ry D. McG owan Game Biologist Fai rb an ks HAWKS ARE BIRDS OF PRE Y an d like other pred at o rs have long been persecuted be cau se t h ey fee ,, on other .',:" animals. But predators play an important ro le in the scheme of natu re and research is now begin nin g to reveal th e relat ion shi p of the se very specialized birds to t he environment . Most hawks fall int o o ne of th e three major groups t hat a year-round resident of Inte rior Alaska th at is most can be easily iden t ified wh en a bird is in flight. The buteos commonly fo un d in birch and aspen wo od s thro ughout the are soaring hawks wit h chu nky bo dies, b ro ad round ed state. wings, and fan -shaped tails . But eos found in Alaska are : Two other hawks nest in Alaska whic h are not membe rs the rough-legged hawk (Bute o lagopus), the red-tailed h awk of thes e three groups. They are the h arrier , or marsh hawk (Bu teo jamaic ensis] , -the Swainso n' s hawk (Buteo (Circus cyan eus) , and the ospre y (Pandion haliaetus) . The swainsoni) , the Harlans's hawk (Bueto harlan i) , the gold en marsh hawk is a slim bird with a white patch at the base eagle (Aquila chrysaeto s) , and th e bald eagle (Haliaeetus of the t ail, often seen flyi ng low with deliber ate wing b eat s.
    [Show full text]
  • Migration Strategies of Common Buzzard (Buteo Buteo Linnaeus
    Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle «Grigore Antipa» Vol. 60 (2) pp. 537–545 DOI: 10.1515/travmu-2017-0008 Research Paper Migration Strategies of Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo Linnaeus, 1758) in Dobruja Cătălin-Răzvan STANCIU1, Răzvan ZAHARIA2, Gabriel-Bogdan CHIȘAMERA4, Ioana COBZARU3, *, Viorel-Dumitru GAVRIL3, 1, Dumitru MURARIU3 1Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91–95 Splaiul Independenței, 5050095 Bucharest, Romania 2Oceanographic Research and Marine Environment Protection Society Oceanic-Club, Constanța, Romania 3Institute of Biology Bucharest of Romanian Academy, 296 Splaiul Independenței, 060031 Bucharest, Romania 4“Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History, 1 Kiseleff Blvd., 011341, Bucharest, Romania *corresponding author, email: [email protected] Received: August 2, 2017; Accepted: August 31, 2017; Available online: August 31, 2017; Printed: December 31, 2017 Abstract. We studied various aspects regarding migration behavior of the Common Buzzard for two subspecies (B. b. buteo and B. b. vulpinus) transiting the region which overlaps with the Western Black Sea Corridor. Using vantage points set across Dobruja we managed to count 2,662 individuals. We highlighted the seasonal and diurnal peak passage, flight directions and height of flight for each season. Our results suggest that 57% of the counted individuals belongs to long-distance migrant Steppe Buzzard - B. b. vulpinus. The peek passage period in autumn migration was reached between the 26th of September to the 6th of October, while for the spring migration peek passage remained uncertain. The main autumn passage direction was from N to S, and NNW to SSE but also from NE to SW. For spring passage the main direction was from S to N but also from ESE to WNW.
    [Show full text]
  • Bald Eagles Rear Red&Hyphen;Tailed Hawks
    126 LETTERS VOL. 27, NO. 2 We surmisedthat the passerincnestling was a kingbird (Tyrannidae), sparrow(Emberizidae), or a Horned Lark (Eremophilaalpestris), presumably brought to the nestby one of the adult hawksas a prey item. The nestlingwas not featheredenough to have flown to the nest;there were no other nest structureson the power tower, and no nearby trees. This nestwas occupiedby a six-year-oldcolor-banded male for at leastthree yearsand an unbandedfemale (J.K. Schmutzpers. comm.).An experiencedhunter may have easilycaptured the nestlingfrom a tree or groundnest. We hypothesizethat the nestling'ssmall size, or the lack of a struggle,may have inhibited the adult hawk from tightly graspingand engagingthe digital tendonlocking mechanism during captureand transport.Nonlethal predationappears to be the best explanation for our observation.Other nonlethal predation by raptors has been reported recently •n theliterature (P.R. Stefaneket al. 1992,J. RaptorR•s. 26:40-41), and we feelthat these events may occur more frequently than the literature suggests.We considerbrood parasitismunlikely, due to the disparity betweenthe age of the nestlinghawks and the passerinc. We wishto thankJ.K. Schmutzfor encouragingus to reportthis observation.--Daniel N. Gossett,Raptor Research and Technical AssistanceCenter, Department of Biology, BoiseState University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725 U.S.A.; Jeffrey D. Smith, Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan,Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W0 Canada. f RaptorRes. 27(2):126-127 ¸ 1993 The Raptor ResearchFoundation, Inc. BALD EAGLES REAR RED-TAILED HAWKS Recently,Stefanek et al. (1992, J. RaptorRes. 26:40-41) reportedan unusualincident of a nestlingRed-tailed hawk (Buteojamaicensis) and two nestlingBald Eagles(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in an eagle'snest in Michigan.
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding Biology and Nestling Diet of the Great Black&Hyphen;Hawk
    SHORT COMMUNICATIONS j. RaptorRes. 32(2):175-177 ¸ 1998 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc. BREEDING BIOLOGY AND NESTLING DIET OF THE GREAT BLACK-HAWK NATHANIEL E. SEAVY 17142 LemoloShr. Dr. N.E., Poulsbo, WA 98370 U.S.A. RtCH?d•D P. GERHARDT 341 N.E. Chestnut St., Madras, OR 97741 U.S.A. KEY WORDS: GreatBlack-Hawk; Buteogallus urubitinga; Observationsof courtship behavior or of hawkscarry- breedingbiology; diet;, Petgn; Guatemala. ing nest material or prey led to the eventual location of nests.After they were found, nests were checked every 2-3 d to record nesting phenology.During all yearswe The Great Black-Hawk (Buteogallusurubitinga) rang- recorded nest size (diameter and depth) and situation, es from Mexico south to eastern Bolivia, Paraguayand and described nest trees. Observationsof prey deliveries to nests were made with binoculars from observation northern Argentina, inhabiting coastal lowlands and foothills (Brown and Amadon 1968). The few accounts platforms constructed in trees about 35 m from nests. We climbed to nestsweekly to weigh and measure nest- describing its breeding biology have been brief and at lings in 1991; in 1993 and 1994 we avoided climbing to times contradictory(Grossman and Hamlet 1964, Smithe nests,except to verify someclutch sizes,until after fledg- 1966, Brown and Amadon 1968, ffrench 1976, Mader ing. Additional information on clutch size, nesting phe- 1981). Based primarily on isolated observationsof hunt- nology and nestswas obtained from egg-setdata records ing and prey remains collected beneath roosts, a wide from published accounts,the Western Foundation of Ver- variety of prey items has been recorded, including inver- tebrate Zoology (WFVZ), and the Delaware Museum of tebrates,fish, frogs, reptiles,birds, mammalsand carrion Natural History (DMNH).
    [Show full text]
  • Field Guide to RAPTORS of the Northwest Territories 2 |
    A Field Guide to RAPTORS of the Northwest Territories 2 | This identification guide includes all species of raptors known to be present in the Northwest Territories. © 2019 Government of the Northwest Territories Recommended citation: Environment and Natural Resources. 2019. A Field Guide to Raptors of the Northwest Territories. Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife, NT 39pp. Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) would like to acknowledge Gordon Court and Kim Poole for their contribution to this field guide. Funding for this booklet was provided by the GNWT. We would like to acknowledge all those who supported and donated their energy to this project. Maps were created for this project by GNWT ENR based on data from GBIF downloaded in December 2018. See back cover for GBIF resource. The raptor diagram was created for this project by S Carrière (GNWT), based on a photograph by B Turner, used with permission. All photos used with permission. COVER PHOTO: American Kestrel by Gordon Court | 3 Table of Contents 4 NWT Raptor Species Checklist ....................................................................................5 Raptors in the NWT ...........................................................................................................5 Where to Find Them..........................................................................................................5 How to Become a Better Birder ...................................................................................6
    [Show full text]
  • Birds Accipitridae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Osprey Pandion
    Birds Accipitridae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Osprey Pandion haliaetus Northern Harrier Hawk Circus cyaneus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii Red-shoulder Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Alcedinidae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon Anatidae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus Snow Goose Chen caerulescens Canada Goose Branta canadensis Wood Duck Aix sponsa Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata Mallard Anas platyrhynchos American Black Duck Anas rubripes Gadwall Anas strepera Green-winged Teal Anas crecca American Wigeon Anas americana Northern Pintail Anas acuta Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Canvasback Aythya valisineria Redhead Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Greater Scaup Aythya marila Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Anhingidae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Anhinga Anhinga anhinga Apodidae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica Ardeidae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Green Heron Butorides virescens Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Snowy Egret Egretta thula Great Egret Ardea alba Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Bombycillidae COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Caprimulgidae
    [Show full text]
  • FACED BUZZARD &Lpar;<I>BUTASTUR INDICUS</I>
    j. RaptorRes. 38(3):263-269 ¸ 2004 The Raptor ResearchFoundation, Inc. BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE GREY-FACED BUZZARD (BUTASTUR INDICUS) IN NORTHEASTERN CHINA WEN-HONG DENG 1 MOE KeyLaboratory for BiodiversityScience and Ecological En•neering, College of Life Sciences, BeijingNormal University, Beijing, 100875 China WEI GAO Collegeof Life Sciences,Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024 China JI•NG ZHAO Collegeof Life Sciences,illin NormalUniversity, Siping, 136000 China ABSTRACT.--Westudied the breeding biologyof the Grey-facedBuzzard (Butasturindicus) in Zuojia Nature Reserve,Jinlin province,China from 1996-98. Grey-facedBuzzards are summerresidents in northeasternChina. Nesting sites were occupied in Marchand annualreoccupancy was 60%. Grey-faced Buzzardsbuilt new or repairedold nestsin late March and laid eggsin earlyApril. Layingpeaked in late April and spanned32 d (N = 15 clutches).Clutches consisted of 3-4 eggs,incubated for 33 -+ 1 d predominantlyby the female,to whomthe malebrought prey. After young hatched, the femalealso beganhunting. The mean brood-rearingperiod was 38 -+ 2 d and nestlingfemales attained larger asymptoticmass than males,but the lattergrew fasten Males fledged at a meanage of 35 d and females at 39 d. Youngwere slightlyheavier than adultsat fiedging,but the wing chordand tail lengthswere shorterthan thoseof adults.A total of 50 eggswas laid in 15 nests(i clutchsize = 3.3), of which80% hatchedand 90% of the nestlingsfledged. A mean of 2.4 youngfledged per breedingattempt. Overall nest successwas 80%. Causesof nest failure were addled eggsand predation on eggsor nestlingsby small mammals (e.g., Siberian weasel [Mustelasibe•ica] ). KEYWORDS: Grey-facedBuzzard; Butastur indicus; breeding biology; clutch size,, nestlings; fledglings; develop- m•t;, reproductivesuccess. BIOLOG•A REPRODUCTIVA DE BUTASTUR INDICUS EN EL NORESTE DE CHINA REsUMEN.--Estudiamosla biologla reproductiva de Butasturindicus en la reservaNatural de la Provi- denciade Jinlin en Chinadesde 1996-98.
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding Biology of Neotropical Accipitriformes: Current Knowledge and Research Priorities
    Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 26(2): 151–186. ARTICLE June 2018 Breeding biology of Neotropical Accipitriformes: current knowledge and research priorities Julio Amaro Betto Monsalvo1,3, Neander Marcel Heming2 & Miguel Ângelo Marini2 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, IB, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil. 2 Departamento de Zoologia, IB, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil. 3 Corresponding author: [email protected] Received on 08 March 2018. Accepted on 20 July 2018. ABSTRACT: Despite the key role that knowledge on breeding biology of Accipitriformes plays in their management and conservation, survey of the state-of-the-art and of information gaps spanning the entire Neotropics has not been done since 1995. We provide an updated classification of current knowledge about breeding biology of Neotropical Accipitridae and define the taxa that should be prioritized by future studies. We analyzed 440 publications produced since 1995 that reported breeding of 56 species. There is a persistent scarcity, or complete absence, of information about the nests of eight species, and about breeding behavior of another ten. Among these species, the largest gap of breeding data refers to the former “Leucopternis” hawks. Although 66% of the 56 evaluated species had some improvement on knowledge about their breeding traits, research still focus disproportionately on a few regions and species, and the scarcity of breeding data on many South American Accipitridae persists. We noted that analysis of records from both a citizen science digital database and museum egg collections significantly increased breeding information on some species, relative to recent literature. We created four groups of priority species for breeding biology studies, based on knowledge gaps and threat categories at global level.
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular Phylogenetics of the Buteonine Birds of Prey (Accipitridae)
    'e Auk 304(2):304–315, 2008 )e American Ornithologists’ Union, 2008. Printed in USA. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS OF THE BUTEONINE BIRDS OF PREY (ACCIPITRIDAE) HEATHER R. L. LERNER,1 MATTHEW C. KLAVER, AND DAVID P. MINDELL2 Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA A.—Phylogenetic relationships among birds of prey in thhee subbffamily Buteoninae are not fully established but are of par- ticular interest because the Buteoninae constitute one of the largest accipitrid subgroups and include multiple species of conservation concern. Genera previously included within the Buteoninae are Buteo, Leucopternis, Buteogallus, Harpyhaliaetus, Busarellus, Parabu- teo, Geranoaetus, Geranospiza, Ictinia, Rostrhamus, Kaupifalco, and Butastur. We analyzed representatives from all buteonine genera and most non-Buteo (i.e., “sub-buteo”) species with , bases of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and found non-monophyly for the nominal genera Buteo, Buteogallus, and Leucopternis. )e Old World Lizard Buzzard (Kaupifalco monogrammicus) is not closely re- lated to buteonine taxa but is sister to goshawks in the genera Melierax, Micronisus, and Urotriorchis. Another Old World genus, Butas- tur, is sister to the clade including all other buteonine genera mentioned above. Investigation of several “superspecies” complexes within the genus Leucopternis revealed non-monophyly for the four subspecies of White Hawk (L. albicollis). On the basis of mitochondrial data, L. a. albicollis forms a clade with L. polionotus, whereas L. a. costaricensis, L. a. ghiesbreghti, and L. a. williaminae form a clade with L. occidentalis. Among taxa included as outgroups, we found two species in the genus Circus to be clearly nested within a clade of Accipiter spp.
    [Show full text]
  • Seasonal Patterns of Common Buzzard &Lpar;<I>Buteo Buteo</I
    466 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS VOL. 39, NO. 4 621 in I.G. Priede and S.M. Swift [EDS.], Wildlife te- MEYBURG, B.-U., X. EICHAKER, C. MEYBURG, AND P. PAI- lemetry: remote monitoring and trackingof animals. LLAT. 1995a. Migrations of an adult Spotted Eagle Ellis Horwood Ltd., New York, NY U.S.A. trackedby satellite.Brit. Birds88:357-361. BLOOM,P.H. 1987. Capturingand handling raptors.Pag- --, C. MEY•U}•G,AND J. M•HES. 2006. Annual cycle, es 99-123 in B.A.G. Pendleton, B.A. Millsap, K.W. timing and speed of migration of a pair of Lesser Cline, and D.M. Bird [EDS.], Raptor management SpottedEagles (Aquila pomarina) tracked by satellite. techniques manual. National Wildlife Federation, J. Ornithol.In press. Washington,DC U.S.A. MIZERA, T., G. MACIOROWSKI,AND B.-U. MEYBURG.2001. B}tOWN,L. )d,•DD. AMADON.1968. Eagles,hawks and Fal- [Aquila clanga(Pallas, 1811) Greater Spotted Eagle] cons of the world. Vol. 1. Country Life Books,Felt- Pages 145-148 in Z. Glowacinski [ED.], Polish red ham, England. data book on animals.Vertebrates. Panstwowe Wydaw- nictwo Rolnicze I Lesne, Warszawa, Poland. (In Polish BUST^M•NTE,J. 1995. The duration of the post-fledging with English summary). dependence period of Ospreys(Pandion haliaetus) at Mo}tvAN,R. and F. DOBCHIES.1990. D6pendance de jeu- Loch Garten, Scotland. Bird Study42:31-36. nes Aigles de Bonelli (Hieraaetusfasciatus)apres l'en- C•, W.S. 1981. A modified dho-gazatrap for use at a vol: variations individuelles. Alauda 58:150-162. raptor banding station.J.
    [Show full text]