[order] FALCONIFORMES | [family] Falconidae | [latin] Micrastur buckleyi | [authority] Swann, 1919 | [UK] Buckleys Forest Falcon | [FR] Carnifex de Buckley | [DE] Traylor-Waldfalke | [ES] Halcon-montes de Buckley | [NL] Traylors Bosvalk
Subspecies
Monotypic species
Genus
Members of the genus Micrastur are falcons varying in size from small to quite large. Their wings are short and very rounded. The tail is often long, rounded and arched, but in some forms comparatively shorter. The beak is short, deep and (unusually for a falcon) untoothed. They have long legs. The crown feathers are slightly pointed; those of ear region are narrow, stiff and upsurged, forming a slight ruff. They have large ear openings and hunt in part by sound. There are five species, all in the tropical forests of the Americas.
Physical charateristics
It is black above and white below, with a white collar and black tail with white bands. The collar distinguishes it from other forest-falcons except for the Collared Forest-Falcon (M. semitorquatus), which is larger and has a different call. The distinctive call of Buckley’s is a mournful two- or three-noted series, the first note higher-pitched.
Listen to the sound of Buckleys Forest Falcon
[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/FALCONIFORMES/Falconidae/sounds/Buckleys Forest Falcon.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
recorded by David Edwards
| wingspan min.: | 0 | cm | wingspan max.: | 0 | cm |
| size min.: | 41 | cm | size max.: | 51 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 28 | days | incubation max.: | 35 | days |
| fledging min.: | 28 | days | fledging max.: | 35 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 1 | ||
| eggs max.: | 3 |
Range
South America : West Amazonia. Amazonian Ecuador and Peru and immediately adjacent Colombia and Brazil
Habitat
Inhabits interior of humid forest, second-growth, and forest edges of lowlands. Like other Micrastur species, it is partly crepuscular and vocalizes frequently before dawn and at dusk. Even among members of this genus, this species seems to be particularly inconspicuous and elusive and is detected consistently only by the use of taped calls.
Reproduction
Little known but a nest was observed at a 27-m high cavity on a broken branch of a capirona tree. Clutch size was 2 eggs, which were laid in November and incubated by the female while the male guarded and provided food. Feathered nestlings were found in the nest in early January 2005, and the two eggs in 2006 hatched on 11 and 14 January, respectively. One of the two 2005 chicks survived to fledge in February. Incubation estimated at 4-5 weeks and fledging at 4-5 weeks.
Feeding habits
May attend swarms of army ants to feed on reptiles and insects flushed by the ants.
Conservation
This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Migration
Sedentary
Distribution map
