Svenson buzzard [1] , or Buzzard Svenson [2] ( lat. Buteo swainsoni ) is a representative of the genus of true buzzards ( Buteo ) of the hawk family ( Accipitridae ), living in the west of North America . The species is named after the English ornithologist William Swanson (1789-1855).
| Svenson Buzzard |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte , 1838 |
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Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 22695903 |
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The Svenson buzzard reaches values from 48 to 56 cm, and its wingspan reaches up to 132 cm. Due to its long and thin wings, it is easy to distinguish it from other species of hawks. In soaring flight over the plains, it resembles kites . The plumage of the Svenson buzzard is very diverse. Unlike the red-tailed buzzard , it does not have light spots on its wings. The beak is less massive, and the skin on the beak is yellow. The upper side of the wings is painted in a uniform brown or dark brown color, and their edge is lighter. The underside is also lighter. There is a white spot on the throat of a Svenson buzzard. The pupil of young birds is light, of old birds is dark. There are three types of plumage color.
Svenson's buzzard in
flight Light character
The underside of the wings has a light, dirty white base color contrasting with the dark transverse stripes. The chest is brown, clearly distinguishing against the background of the white lower side of the body. On the sides are thin light brown stripes. Feathers at the base of the legs are white and monochrome. Young growth belonging to this type has a dark stripe at the chin, contrasting with a light throat, as well as light strips above the eyes, stretching from the base of the beak to the back of the head. On the sides are large, on the stomach are smaller dark spots.
Medium Type
The coloring of the middle type ranges between light and dark types and includes a brownish type. He has the underside of a light brown color evenly covered with transverse stripes.
Dark Type
The dark type of the Svenson buzzard is painted dark brown with white feathers on the underside of the tail. Light transverse stripes on the underside of the wings do not stand out very much from the dark underside. In the darkest individuals of this type, the underside is one-color.
Outside the mating season of the Svenson, the buzzard barely gives a voice. His scream usually sounds like a loud “kiarrrrr”, but he is still inferior in volume to the cry of a red-tailed buzzard.
Svenson buzzard is found in the western United States , in the Great Plains . In the north, its range extends to the southwest of Canada , in the south - to the north of Mexico . Representatives of this species partially fly in large flocks. Most winters in South America , less often in Florida or in the California Valley .
