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Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - HBW 2, p. 184

French: Buse à queue rousse German: Rotschwanzbussard Spanish: Busardo Colirrojo
Other common names: Harlan's Hawk (harlani)

Taxonomy: Falco jamaicensis Gmelin, 1788, Jamaica.
Forms superspecies with B. ventralis. Some authors include B. buteo, B. oreophilus and B. brachypterus in same superspecies. Race harlani has variously been treated as full species, or colour morph of calurus. Likewise, kriderii sometimes considered a morph, mainly within range of calurus, but also in boundary region between calurus and borealis; however, kriderii is a pale form inhabiting an area also occupied by similarly pale race richardsoni of Merlin (Falco columbarius). Fourteen subspecies normal.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Falco jamaicensis Gmelin, 1788, Jamaica.
Forms superspecies with B. ventralis. Some authors include B. buteo, B. oreophilus and B. brachypterus in same superspecies. Race harlani has variously been treated as full species, or colour morph of calurus. Likewise, kriderii sometimes considered a morph, mainly within range of calurus, but also in boundary region between calurus and borealis; however, kriderii is a pale form inhabiting an area also occupied by similarly pale race richardsoni of Merlin (Falco columbarius). Fourteen subspecies normally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • alascensis Grinnell, 1909 - SE Alaska (USA) and coastal British Columbia (W Canada).
  • harlani (Audubon, 1830) - interior of Alaska, SW Yukon and N British Columbia.
  • calurus Cassin, 1856 - W North America W of Great Plains.

     See all 14 subspecies
  • alascensis Grinnell, 1909 - SE Alaska (USA) and coastal British Columbia (W Canada).
  • harlani (Audubon, 1830) - interior of Alaska, SW Yukon and N British Columbia.
  • calurus Cassin, 1856 - W North America W of Great Plains.
  • borealis (Gmelin, 1788) - N America E of Great Plains of C USA and Canada.
  • kriderii Hoopes, 1873 - plains of SC Canada S to Wyoming (NC USA).
  • fuertesi Sutton & Van Tyne, 1935 - Texas (S USA) to N Mexico.
  • hadropus Storer, 1962 - highlands of C Mexico.
  • kemsiesi Oberholser, 1959 - Chiapas (S Mexico) to N Nicaragua.
  • costaricensis Ridgway, 1874 - Costa Rica.
  • fumosus Nelson, 1898 - Tres Marias Is, off WC Mexico.
  • socorroensis Nelson, 1898 - Socorro I (Revillagigedo Is), off W Mexico.
  • umbrinus Bangs, 1901 - Florida (SE USA).
  • solitudinis Barbour, 1935 - Bahamas and Cuba.
  • jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) - Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola E to N Lesser Antilles.

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