Black-collared Hawk - Myszołów białogłowy
Brazil, Pantanal, 2013
Description
Medium-sized hawks with long broad wings and short, broad tail. The moderately hooked bill is rather long, as are the legs. The bottom of the feet are covered with prickly spicules used for catching fish. The feathers of the crown and nape are pointed, forming a slight crest. The plumage is extensively rufous, and there is only a moderate difference between the immature and the adult. The adult Black-collared Hawk has a more or less white head, tinged with buff, and with black shaft streaks on the crown. The body, above and below, and the mantle are bright cinnamon-rufous, paler on the chest. There is a black crescent on the upper breast. The back has scattered black shaft stripes; the flight and tail feathers are black with the base of the tail barred with rufous. The eyes are bright reddish brown, the cere and bill black, and the legs bluish white. Immature are similar, but blotched with black, including on the crown, and the rufous barring on the tail is more extensive. The pale area on the chest is also more clearly marked. The upper surface of the wings is barred, and the eyes are brown.
Habitat
Prefers rain forest, flooded forest and flooded land including rice fields. Found up to 800 meters. Found near water, in open or semi-open country, it is often quite common. In parts of their range where dykes or roads cross wetland and paddy fields they can often be seen on every third or fourth telegraph pole. When watching for food, they may perch in trees or bushes along or over water.
Voice
Diet
The Black-collared Hawk lives on a diet mainly composed of fish. Also water bugs and occasionally lizards, snails and rodents. Their feet are spiny for catching fish, and it sometimes swoops down with scarcely a wing beat and catch one without wetting the plumage, in the manner of the African Fish Eagle. At other times it may plunge awkwardly into shallow water from a low perch. On these occasions it may be seen sitting for some time drying its plumage.
Reproduction
The nest is usually placed in a large tree, frequently near water, but sometimes in shade trees in coffee plantations or suburban areas. The nest is lined with green leaves. The female lays three to five eggs, dull white, spotted with pale yellow-brown or red-brown and a few darker freckles. There is no further information on its reproduction.
Photos by others.
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