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Unlike the Turkey Vulture, though, this hawk does not eat carrion but preys upon small mammals and birds fooled into complacency by its mimicry. The Zone-tailed Hawk has coloration and a flight style similar to that of the Turkey Vulture. federal list of threatened and endangered species. In fact, on August 9, 2007, the Bald Eagle was removed from the U.S. Hawks and kites use their talons in a likewise manner with a variety of hunting strategies.įormerly endangered by DDT, populations of Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and other raptors have increased in numbers since the banning of this chemical. While eagles will scavenge for carrion like vultures, they also swoop down upon and grasp fish and other animals with their talons. Hawks, eagles, and kites are for the most part solitary birds with flocking limited to migration and rare occasions when a food source becomes abundant (such as groups of Bald Eagles during salmon runs). Short distance migration to milder climates during the winter months is undertaken by most hawks and eagles longer distance migration to Central and South America by the kites, and Swainson's and Broad-winged Hawks produces the famous "river of raptors" each autumn along the eastern coast of Mexico when tens of thousands of these birds may pass overhead in a mere few days. Forests are home to the swift, aggressive Accipiters such as the Sharp-shinned Hawk, while the Bald Eagle reigns along lakes, rivers, and coasts. While the swamps provide habitat for Red-shouldered Hawks and Swallow-tailed Kites, soaring hawks of the genus Buteo and the Golden Eagle hunt the tundra and other non-forest habitats. Juveniles tend to have brown, streaked plumage and can take a few years before they resemble adults.Ī variety of niches in North America have been filled by members of this family found from the tundra to the southern bottomland swamps. Plumages are cast in browns, grays, and black, many species with barred or pale underparts and a few species with entirely dark plumage. The Accipitridae are devoid of bright colors except for yellow in the bills and feet. Tactics for catching prey vary among species and are reflected by the structure of the bird Sharp-shinned Hawks have short wings and a long tail for catching birds in dense vegetation, Red-tailed Hawks have long, broad wings and a short tail for prolonged soaring, and the kites have long, thin wings and long tails for catching insects during flight. Some species, such as the Northern Goshawk and Golden Eagle, are capable of taking prey that approaches them in size.Īll members of this family share a hooked raptorial beak for tearing flesh, and long sharp talons on strong feet for grasping and killing their prey. Members of the Accipitridae are known for their strength and predatory prowess. This large family includes various hawks, the more delicate kites, and the national bird of the United States of America, the Bald Eagle. The Accipitridae in North America are represented by fifty-four species in twenty-four genera. Three species in three genera occur in Palau, two of which are accidental vagrants. Raptors such as hawks, eagles, and kites, and are members of the Accipitridae (pronounced ak-sip-IT-ruh-dee) a globally distributed family of two hundred and forty-nine species in sixty-five genera.įour species of kites, eagles, and hawks in four genera occur in the South Pacific. They become reproductively maturity and are ready to breed at 2 years of age.The five bird families of the taxonomic order FALCONIFORMES (pronounced fal-kon-ih-FOR-meez) include raptors such as hawks, eagles, vultures, and the Osprey (it should be noted that these birds are alternately classified in an order named ACCIPITRIFORMES (pronounced ak-sip-it-ruh-FOR-meez) by some ornithological authorities). The chicks fledge when they are 44-56 days old and remain with their parents for another 2 months. The incubation period lasts about 26 to 27 days. Both parents take part in nest building and feeding, but likely only the female incubates. The female lays a clutch of 2 dull-white or bluish-white oval eggs. In some rare instances, they may nest on the ground under trees. Their nests are located in various trees, often mangroves they are constructed of small branches and sticks with a bowl inside and lined with leaves. Brahminy kites nest solitarily in the same area year after year. In southern and eastern Australia, it is August to October, and April to June in the north and west. In South Asia, it occurs from December to April. Their breeding season varies with location. However, like most species of kites, they might be monogamous and form long-lasting pair bonds. Little information is known about the mating system in Brahminy kites.