Chilean Hawk
Encyclopedia
The Chilean Hawk is a bird of prey
species
belonging to the typical hawk
s. It breeds in Andes
forests from central Chile
and western Argentina
south to Tierra del Fuego
, from sea level to 2,700 m altitude (though birds are rarely observed above 1,000 m). Some winter
apparently in the lowlands of NW Argentina.
It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of its northern relative the Bicolored Hawk (A. bicolor), and sometimes a distinct species. The two show differences in habitat
preference and have allopatric distributions. But the situation is complicated by the subspecies pileatus, which is intermediate in plumage between bicolor and chilensis, and has been variously assigned to either species by those that consider them distinct.
Young birds have browner upperparts with cream fringes to the feathers. The paler chest and abdomen have longitudinal stripes. The paler uppertail makes the banding more obvious.
Birds are only vocal during the breeding season. While engaging in reproductive activity, its calls do not seem to differ from those of the Bicoloured Hawk. This has at least two rather high-pitched scolding vocalizations: a barking row of keh or kow, and a woodpecker
-like faster and accelerating staccato
of kek calls. These are given near the nest and might announce intruders such as the scientists coming to study the birds. A series of higher-pitched kie, given by a definite Chilean Hawk under similar circumstances, might replace one of the above, or it might be a distinct type of call. Pairmates address each other with a squealing waaah, and a soft clear whistle is apparently used by parents to communicate something to the young.
, it is found north to Neuquén Province
at about 36° latitude
. The northern limit of the breeding range in Chile
is not well known. In significant numbers, the Chilean Hawk probably only occurs north to O'Higgins Region
, though it at least occasionally breeds in Valparaíso Region
, and perhaps also in Coquimbo Region
and Fray Jorge National Park from where there are a few sightings. The southern limit is generally accepted to be at about 55° latitude in Tierra del Fuego
.
Their movement patterns are not well resolved. Generally it seems to be sedentary, but there is a seasonal influx of Chilean Hawks to NW Argentina. Perhaps they follow the swarms of migrant passerine
s or even Chilean Pigeon
s (Columba araucana). It has been recorded as breeding in Magallanes Province
but migrating away afterwards. Young birds seem to be quite prone to vagrancy: there is one certain and one possible record from Tafí del Valle
and Oasis de Pica, respectively; both locations are hundreds of kilometers north even of the suspected breeding range.
forest. Far more rarely, it is also found in sclerophyll
ous forest, parkland and mixed forest and open habitat. Top hunt, it also visits open areas like shrubland, grassland or agricultural land to hunt. It is rarely if ever seen in heavily human-modified habitat however, and the few individuals that have been encountered in city parks and gardens are probably not resident birds. As it seems, it requires not much less than 200 hectare
s of native forest to breed.
Typically, forest inhabited by this bird is dominated by Araucaria
and southern beech (Nothofagus). Particular species that have been recorded are coihue
(N. dombeyi), hualle (N. obliqua) and lenga (N. pumilio). It probably tolerates some logging
, as long as the native character of the forest is not altered. Secondary growth
with abundant mature trees remaining and dense undergrowth e.g. of South American mountain bamboo (Chusquea), as caused by limited logging activity, may even be prime breeding habitat, although too little is known to be certain. When enough native forest is present, plantation
s e.g. of introduced pine
s are also utilized.
During the day, it likes to perch on branches in its territory, moving between favorite areas of forest in low flight. Areas with strong human activity like settlements are approached cautiously; it is generally not a bird that announces its presence. Pairs split outside the breeding season; it is not studied whether they are monogamous only during the breeding season or for several seasons. It seldom soar
s unrelated to reproductive activity. Males do aerobatic displays in courtship, such as a double loop resembling an upright "8".
The louse
Colpocephalum turbinatum was found on a museum specimen of the Chilean Hawk, but whether it actually parasitizes these birds or had simply crossed over from some other specimen is not known.
catches its prey, but as it seems it is optimized for pursuit of small and maneuvrable birds throughout all levels of the forest. It is also able to seize large insect
s in mid-air. Both active searching for prey and sitting in ambush to wait what might come along has been observed. Buring the breeding season, pairs may cooperate in hunting; their different sizes ensures that they do not compete for prey much.
The Chilean Hawk's food is almost exclusively birds (97.8% of all prey remains in one study), in particular a diverse selection of forest passerine
s. More than 30 bird species are documented to be eaten by this hawk at least occasionally. Rodent
s of at least 4 species and every now and then an occasional insect
or squamate round off its diet.
The Chilean Hawk hunts forest passerines quite indiscriminately of species, habitat or habits provided they have the right size, though it has a preference for species that live closer to the forest floor. Depending on availability, favorite prey species include Thorn-tailed Rayadito
(Aphrastura spinicauda) Black-chinned Siskin
(Carduelis barbata), White-crested Elaenia
(Elaenia albiceps), Austral Thrush
(Turdus falcklandii) and Fire-eyed Diucon
(Xolmis pyrope). It has been claimed that the Chilean Pigeon
(Columba araucana) constitutes important prey, but this seems only to be correct at certain times or places, if at all.
to February, after which the families disperse again. A 1937 nest and a 1945 egg description of the Chilean Hawk appear to be based on a misidentification; the nest at least was probably of the Chimango Caracara
(Milvago chimango).
The oval platform nest measures about 50–80 by 50–60 cm and is some 25 cm high when freshly built. Some nests are more than twice as high; these might have been used in several years. It is built from strongly intertwined dry twigs and sticks. It is placed on forked branches in the upper part of a tree, close to the main trunk or a main vertical branch, some 16–20 m above ground. At least locally, full-grown coihue
trees (Nothofagus dombeyi) seem to be much preferred for nesting. Nests are sometimes reused in successive seasons, but more often a new nest is constructed in a different tree every season.
The clutch
is probably two, sometimes three and rarely one, as usual for Accipitridae
. The eggs are dull light bluish to off-white all over and are shaped like a chicken's egg. The eggshell's inside has a slightly more pronounced bluish tinge. Incubation lasts probably about 3 weeks. The parents defend their nesting grounds against other birds of prey, such as the Red-backed Hawk (Buteo polyosoma); during approaches by such potentially dangerous species, the nestlings will tuck away their heads. It seems that 2 or 3 young are raised on a regular basis, unlike in many other Accipitridae where only the strongest nestling survives.
n temperate forest. It is considered relatively common in the Cape Horn
region, e.g. in Ñuble National Reserve, population densities as high as 4 birds per square km have been recorded. Elsewhere, it is far less often seen and usually quite rare. Attempts to assess its population density
are hampered by the fact that it requires a certain amount of prime habitat to settle in a locale at all. Thus, much otherwise suitable land might be under-utilized by these birds, and subpopulations have an extremely patchy distribution.
It is listed as a rare or insufficiently known species in Chile
and legally protected under the Hunting Law. In Argentina
it is not listed as threatened. On a global scale, it is a rare bird, though not under immediate threat. Populations may decline due to increasing habitat loss from extensive fires, logging pressures, and hunting. It is not evaluated by the IUCN, as they do not consider it specifically distinct, but is included on the CITES Appendix II as part of the blanket listing of Falconiformes
.
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
belonging to the typical hawk
Accipiter
The genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large...
s. It breeds in Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
forests from central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and western Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
south to Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
, from sea level to 2,700 m altitude (though birds are rarely observed above 1,000 m). Some winter
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
apparently in the lowlands of NW Argentina.
It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of its northern relative the Bicolored Hawk (A. bicolor), and sometimes a distinct species. The two show differences in habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
preference and have allopatric distributions. But the situation is complicated by the subspecies pileatus, which is intermediate in plumage between bicolor and chilensis, and has been variously assigned to either species by those that consider them distinct.
Description
The male is 37 to 38 cm long, while the larger female measures 41 to 42 cm. The adults have black upperparts, and an ash-grey chest and abdomen with dark barring. The throat has longitudinal dark stripes and the undertail is white. The uppertail is brown with 5 or 6 dark bands. The legs are greenish yellow, and the eyes are yellow. The sexes have similar plumage.Young birds have browner upperparts with cream fringes to the feathers. The paler chest and abdomen have longitudinal stripes. The paler uppertail makes the banding more obvious.
Birds are only vocal during the breeding season. While engaging in reproductive activity, its calls do not seem to differ from those of the Bicoloured Hawk. This has at least two rather high-pitched scolding vocalizations: a barking row of keh or kow, and a woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
-like faster and accelerating staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
of kek calls. These are given near the nest and might announce intruders such as the scientists coming to study the birds. A series of higher-pitched kie, given by a definite Chilean Hawk under similar circumstances, might replace one of the above, or it might be a distinct type of call. Pairmates address each other with a squealing waaah, and a soft clear whistle is apparently used by parents to communicate something to the young.
Distribution
In ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, it is found north to Neuquén Province
Neuquén Province
Neuquén is a province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west...
at about 36° latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
. The northern limit of the breeding range in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
is not well known. In significant numbers, the Chilean Hawk probably only occurs north to O'Higgins Region
O'Higgins Region
The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers....
, though it at least occasionally breeds in Valparaíso Region
Valparaíso Region
The V Valparaíso Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of , the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region...
, and perhaps also in Coquimbo Region
Coquimbo Region
The IV Coquimbo Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is some 400 km north of the capital, Santiago.The capital and largest city is La Serena, other important cities include the seaport Coquimbo and the agricultural centre...
and Fray Jorge National Park from where there are a few sightings. The southern limit is generally accepted to be at about 55° latitude in Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
.
Their movement patterns are not well resolved. Generally it seems to be sedentary, but there is a seasonal influx of Chilean Hawks to NW Argentina. Perhaps they follow the swarms of migrant passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
s or even Chilean Pigeon
Chilean Pigeon
The Chilean Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is found in Argentina, Chile, and Falkland Islands.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:...
s (Columba araucana). It has been recorded as breeding in Magallanes Province
Magallanes Province
Magallanes Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena . The provincial capital is the city of Punta Arenas.-Geography and demography:...
but migrating away afterwards. Young birds seem to be quite prone to vagrancy: there is one certain and one possible record from Tafí del Valle
Tafí del Valle
Tafí del Valle is a city in Tucumán, Argentina....
and Oasis de Pica, respectively; both locations are hundreds of kilometers north even of the suspected breeding range.
Ecology
The Chilean Hawk is specifically found in temperateTemperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
forest. Far more rarely, it is also found in sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
ous forest, parkland and mixed forest and open habitat. Top hunt, it also visits open areas like shrubland, grassland or agricultural land to hunt. It is rarely if ever seen in heavily human-modified habitat however, and the few individuals that have been encountered in city parks and gardens are probably not resident birds. As it seems, it requires not much less than 200 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s of native forest to breed.
Typically, forest inhabited by this bird is dominated by Araucaria
Araucaria
Araucaria is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 19 extant species in the genus, with a highly disjunct distribution in New Caledonia , Norfolk Island, eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil.-Description:Araucaria are mainly...
and southern beech (Nothofagus). Particular species that have been recorded are coihue
Coihue
Nothofagus dombeyi is a tree species native to southern Chile and the Andean parts of Argentine Patagonia. It grows from 35 to 45° South latitude between 700 and 1,200 m above mean sea level. It forms dense forests, like those found in the Los Alerces and Nahuel Huapi national parks...
(N. dombeyi), hualle (N. obliqua) and lenga (N. pumilio). It probably tolerates some logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, as long as the native character of the forest is not altered. Secondary growth
Secondary growth
In many vascular plants, secondary growth is the result of the activity of the two lateral meristems, the cork cambium and vascular cambium. Arising from lateral meristems, secondary growth increases the girth of the plant root or stem, rather than its length. As long as the lateral meristems...
with abundant mature trees remaining and dense undergrowth e.g. of South American mountain bamboo (Chusquea), as caused by limited logging activity, may even be prime breeding habitat, although too little is known to be certain. When enough native forest is present, plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s e.g. of introduced pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s are also utilized.
During the day, it likes to perch on branches in its territory, moving between favorite areas of forest in low flight. Areas with strong human activity like settlements are approached cautiously; it is generally not a bird that announces its presence. Pairs split outside the breeding season; it is not studied whether they are monogamous only during the breeding season or for several seasons. It seldom soar
Lift (soaring)
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...
s unrelated to reproductive activity. Males do aerobatic displays in courtship, such as a double loop resembling an upright "8".
The louse
Louse
Lice is the common name for over 3,000 species of wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera; three of which are classified as human disease agents...
Colpocephalum turbinatum was found on a museum specimen of the Chilean Hawk, but whether it actually parasitizes these birds or had simply crossed over from some other specimen is not known.
Food and feeding
It is not well known how this carnivoreCarnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
catches its prey, but as it seems it is optimized for pursuit of small and maneuvrable birds throughout all levels of the forest. It is also able to seize large insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s in mid-air. Both active searching for prey and sitting in ambush to wait what might come along has been observed. Buring the breeding season, pairs may cooperate in hunting; their different sizes ensures that they do not compete for prey much.
The Chilean Hawk's food is almost exclusively birds (97.8% of all prey remains in one study), in particular a diverse selection of forest passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
s. More than 30 bird species are documented to be eaten by this hawk at least occasionally. Rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s of at least 4 species and every now and then an occasional insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
or squamate round off its diet.
The Chilean Hawk hunts forest passerines quite indiscriminately of species, habitat or habits provided they have the right size, though it has a preference for species that live closer to the forest floor. Depending on availability, favorite prey species include Thorn-tailed Rayadito
Thorn-tailed Rayadito
The Thorn-tailed Rayadito is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina and Chile and may formerly have occurred in the Falkland Islands....
(Aphrastura spinicauda) Black-chinned Siskin
Black-chinned Siskin
The Black-chinned Siskin is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands.Its natural habitats are temperate forests and heavily degraded former forest.-References:...
(Carduelis barbata), White-crested Elaenia
White-crested Elaenia
The White-crested Elaenia is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It has several subspecies breeding across southern and western parts of South America...
(Elaenia albiceps), Austral Thrush
Austral Thrush
The Austral Thrush, Turdus falcklandii, is a medium sized thrush from southern South America. There are two subspecies, the Magellan Thrush from south Argentina and south and central Chile, and the Falkland Thrush The Austral Thrush, Turdus falcklandii, is a medium sized thrush from southern South...
(Turdus falcklandii) and Fire-eyed Diucon
Fire-eyed Diucon
The Fire-eyed Diucon is a passerine bird of South America belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is usually placed with the monjitas in the genus Xolmis but was sometimes placed in its own genus Pyrope in the past....
(Xolmis pyrope). It has been claimed that the Chilean Pigeon
Chilean Pigeon
The Chilean Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is found in Argentina, Chile, and Falkland Islands.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:...
(Columba araucana) constitutes important prey, but this seems only to be correct at certain times or places, if at all.
Reproduction
This hawk breeds in the austral summer. Pairs apparently form from mid-late October on. Incubating birds have been observed in December, and chicks are seen from about New Year's EveNew Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
to February, after which the families disperse again. A 1937 nest and a 1945 egg description of the Chilean Hawk appear to be based on a misidentification; the nest at least was probably of the Chimango Caracara
Chimango Caracara
The Chimango Caracara also known as Tiuque is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is a vagrant to the Falkland Islands...
(Milvago chimango).
The oval platform nest measures about 50–80 by 50–60 cm and is some 25 cm high when freshly built. Some nests are more than twice as high; these might have been used in several years. It is built from strongly intertwined dry twigs and sticks. It is placed on forked branches in the upper part of a tree, close to the main trunk or a main vertical branch, some 16–20 m above ground. At least locally, full-grown coihue
Coihue
Nothofagus dombeyi is a tree species native to southern Chile and the Andean parts of Argentine Patagonia. It grows from 35 to 45° South latitude between 700 and 1,200 m above mean sea level. It forms dense forests, like those found in the Los Alerces and Nahuel Huapi national parks...
trees (Nothofagus dombeyi) seem to be much preferred for nesting. Nests are sometimes reused in successive seasons, but more often a new nest is constructed in a different tree every season.
The clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
is probably two, sometimes three and rarely one, as usual for Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
. The eggs are dull light bluish to off-white all over and are shaped like a chicken's egg. The eggshell's inside has a slightly more pronounced bluish tinge. Incubation lasts probably about 3 weeks. The parents defend their nesting grounds against other birds of prey, such as the Red-backed Hawk (Buteo polyosoma); during approaches by such potentially dangerous species, the nestlings will tuck away their heads. It seems that 2 or 3 young are raised on a regular basis, unlike in many other Accipitridae where only the strongest nestling survives.
Status
Because of its forest habitat and secretive behaviour, the Chilean Hawk is one of the least-studied raptors in the PatagoniaPatagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
n temperate forest. It is considered relatively common in the Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
region, e.g. in Ñuble National Reserve, population densities as high as 4 birds per square km have been recorded. Elsewhere, it is far less often seen and usually quite rare. Attempts to assess its population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
are hampered by the fact that it requires a certain amount of prime habitat to settle in a locale at all. Thus, much otherwise suitable land might be under-utilized by these birds, and subpopulations have an extremely patchy distribution.
It is listed as a rare or insufficiently known species in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and legally protected under the Hunting Law. In Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
it is not listed as threatened. On a global scale, it is a rare bird, though not under immediate threat. Populations may decline due to increasing habitat loss from extensive fires, logging pressures, and hunting. It is not evaluated by the IUCN, as they do not consider it specifically distinct, but is included on the CITES Appendix II as part of the blanket listing of Falconiformes
Falconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
.