Reflections of the Natural World

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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

SHORT-TAILED HAWK – (Species Account Blog #95)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Accipitriformes,
• FAMILY: Accipitridae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Buteo brachyurus

The Short-tailed Hawk is a smallish, broad-winged buteo with 2 distinct color morphs. In flight, best field marks are long, broad wings with slightly pointed and upturned tips, grayish to whitish flight feathers showing distinctly paler (whiter) area in primaries compared to secondaries. Adult light-morph bird has dark-brown head and cheeks with contrasting white throat, which gives distinct impression of a dark hood over head. Remaining underparts creamy white to immaculate white and unmarked, except for fine, indistinct rufous-brown streaks on both sides of upper breast. Under wing coverts white and unmarked, with remiges pale grayish with a wide, dark terminal band. Adult dark-morph bird has body, head, and wing coverts almost entirely dark brown. Both light and dark morphs characterized by a relatively short, broad tail, pale below with a wide, dark subterminal band and a few other narrow bands visible. (from Birds of the World)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we observed Short-tailed hawks near the Caldera Mangrove area at Mata de Limón and again along Hwy 126 just south of Hwy 4 west of Sarapiqui, Heredia.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding