Harris's hawk

Harris's hawk
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Parabuteo
Species:
P. unicinctus
Binomial name
Parabuteo unicinctus
(Temminck, 1824)
Subspecies

P. u. harrisi
P. u. superior
P. u. unicinctus

Distribution map of Parabuteo unicinctus
Synonyms[2]

Falco harrisii Audubon 1839
Buteo harrisii Bonaparte 1839, Audubon 1840
Craxirex harrisii Coues 1870
Falco unicinctus Temminck 1824
Morphnus unicinctus Lesson 1828
Nisus unicinctus Cuvier 1829
Buteo unicinctus Gray 1844
Hypomorphnus unicinctus Cab. & Tschudi 1844
Spizageranus unicinctus Kaup 1845
Craxirex unicinctus Bonaparte 1854
Asturina unicincta Burm. 1855
Urubitinga unicincta Sclater 1871
Buteo unicinctus var. harrisii Coues 1872
Erythrocnema unicinctus Sharpe 1874
Polyborus tænurius Tschudi 1844

Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), formerly known as the bay-winged hawk, dusky hawk, and sometimes wolf hawk, and known in Latin America as the peuco, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. This bird is sometimes reported to be at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost invariably all refer to escapes from captivity.

The name is derived from the Greek para, meaning beside, near or like, and the Latin buteo, referring to a kind of buzzard; uni meaning once; and cinctus meaning girdled, referring to the white band at the tip of the tail.[3] John James Audubon gave this bird its English name in honor of his ornithological companion, financial supporter, and friend Edward Harris.[4]

Harris's hawk is notable for its behavior of hunting cooperatively in packs consisting of tolerant groups, while other raptors often hunt alone. Harris's hawks' social nature has been attributed to their intelligence, which makes them easy to train and has made them a popular bird for use in falconry.[5]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Parabuteo unicinctus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22695838A93529685. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695838A93529685.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sharpe1874 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Jobling, James A. (1991). A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-854634-4.
  4. ^ National Audubon Society. "Audubon". Audubon. Archived from the original on 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  5. ^ Beebe, Frank (1984). A Falconry Manual. Hancock House Publishers, ISBN 0-88839-978-2, page 81.