Savanna Hawk

Buteogallus meridionalis

The Savanna Hawk is a large raptor found in open savanna and swamp edges. It was formerly placed in the genus "Heterospizias". It breeds from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia, Uruguay and central Argentina.
Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis) Carretera a Bagua, Amazonas, Peru. Jan 24, 2021 Buteogallus meridionalis,Geotagged,Peru,Savanna Hawk,Summer

Appearance

The Savanna Hawk is 46–61 cm in length and weighs 845 g. The adult has a rufous body with grey mottling above and fine black barring below. The flight feathers of the long broad wings are black, and the tail is banded black and white. The legs are yellow. The call is a loud scream "keeeeru".

Immature birds are similar to the adults but have darker, duller upperparts, paler underparts with coarser barring, and a whitish supercilium. This species perches very horizontally, and its legs are strikingly long.
Savanna Hawk Gloriously marked hawk Buteogallus meridionalis,Hato Pinero,Los Llanos,Savanna Hawk

Reproduction

The nest is of sticks lined with grass and built in a palm tree. The clutch is a single white egg, and the young take 6.5 to 7.5 weeks to fledging.
Savanna Hawk One of my favourite hawks, here alongside the Transpantaneira Highway. Buteogallus meridionalis,Mato Grosso,Pantanal,Savanna Hawk,Transpantaneira highway

Food

The Savanna Hawk feeds on small mammals, lizards, snakes, crabs and large insects. It usually sits on an open high perch from which it swoops on its prey, but will also hunt on foot, and several birds may gather at grass fires.

References:

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderAccipitriformes
FamilyAccipitridae
GenusButeogallus
SpeciesB. meridionalis