Accipiter striatus velox

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Habitat

The species breeds in young coniferous forests with high canopy associations. Habitats that they are documented to use include ponderosa pine, black oak, riparian deciduous, mixed conifer, and Jeffrey pine. The species uses dense stands in close proximity to open areas. It roosts in intermediate to high-canopy forest and nests in dense, even-aged, single-layered forest canopy. Usually it is found in large remote woods throughout most of the continent (Terres 1980). Although they seem to prefer riparian habitats they are not restricted to them and are found in mid-elevation habitat such as pine forests, woodlands and mixed conifer forests. For nesting they occur in dense tree stands which are cool, moist, well shaded and usually near water. For hunting habitat, they often use openings at the edges of woodlands and also brushy pastures (USFS pers. comm. 1999). Sharp-shinned hawks may occur in a large variety of woodland habitats during winter and migration periods and are most common in southern California in the coastal lowlands and desert areas (e.g. , Garrett and Dunn 1981). The species winters in woodlands and other habitats except alpine , open prairie and bare desert (Zeiner, et al. 1990).

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,765 meters (0 to 9,072 feet).[1]

Biology

Diet

The species feeds almost entirely on small birds. It eats mostly small birds, usually no larger than jays; it also rarely takes small mammals, insects, reptiles , and amphibians (Brown and Amadon 1968). Perches , and darts out in sudden flight to surprise prey ; also cruises rapidly in search flights. Often the sharp-shinned hawk hunts as a harrier, in low, gliding flights. It often forages in openings at edges of woodlands, hedgerows, brushy pastures, and shorelines , especially where migrating birds are found (Zeiner, et al. 1990). North-facing slopes with prey plucking perches are a critical habitat requirement. These hawks chose avian prey opportunistically (Joy et al. 1994).

Reproduction

The average distance between nests is 2.5 miles (Zeiner, et al. 1990). The species usually nests in dense, pole and small-tree stands of conifers which are cool, moist, well shaded, with little groundcover and near water (Call 1978). The sharp-shinned hawk tends to nest in forest stands with a greater percent cover of conifer trees that the Cooper’s hawk and also tends to place the nest within the canopy of the tree (Trexel, et al. 1999; Wiggers and Kritz 1991). The nesting season for this hawk in Missouri was recorded from May to August with a mean clutch size of 4.5 (n=8) (Wiggers and Kritz 1994). It breeds from April through August in California, with the peak nesting period from late May to July (Zeiner et al. 1990). The clutch averages 4-5 eggs , with a range of 3-8. Incubation is 34-35 days, and done by both parents. The male brings food to the female and the semi-altricial young; fledging occurs at about 60 days. Among 11 pairs in Oregon, Reynolds (1975) reported 2.7 young/ pair, and a hatching success of 70%. Egg loss in the species was greater than nestling loss. The nests may be reused in later years (Reynolds, et al. 1982). Nest is a platform or cup in dense foliage against trunk , or in main crotch of tree, usually 2-24 m (6-80 ft ) above ground . This species has the most inconspicuous nest of the accipiters (Call 1978).

Dispersal : The young first fly about 23 days after hatching (Brown and Amadon 1968). No other information is available.

Behavior

Daily Activity: The sharp-shinned hawk exhibits year-long, diurnal activity (Zeiner et al. 1990).

Socio-Spatial Behavior: In Wyoming, Craighead and Craighead (1956) measured two breeding home ranges of 67 ha and 132 ha (166 and 326 ac). Reynolds (1979) reported crude home range of 2,750 ha (6600 ac). The territory appears to be the same as the home range. Distances averaged 4.1 km (2.5 mi ) between nests . The sharp-shinned hawk demonstrates very active nest defense. Breeding home ranges may be as large as approximately 800 hectares (Johnsgard 1990).

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: June 24, 1996.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Accipiter

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 86 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. albogularis (Pied Goshawk) · A. albogularis albogularis (Pied Goshawk) · A. badius (Little Banded Goshawk) · A. badius badius (Little Banded Goshawk) · A. bicolor (Bicoloured Sparrow Hawk) · A. bicolor bicolor (Bicoloured Sparrow Hawk) · A. brachyurus (New Britain Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. brevipes (Levant Sparrow Hawk) · A. buergersi (Chestnut-Shouldered Goshawk) · A. butleri (Nicobar Sparrowhawk) · A. butleri butleri (Nicobar Sparrowhawk) · A. castanilius (Chestnut-Bellied Sparrow Hawk) · A. chionogaster (White-Breasted Hawk) · A. cirrhocephalus (Australian Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. cirrhocephalus cirrhocephalus (Australian Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. cirrocephalus (Australian Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. cirrocephalus cirrocephalus (Australian Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. collaris (Semi-Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. cooperi (Big Blue Darter) · A. cooperii (Big Blue Darter) · A. erythrauchen (Grey Moluccan Collared Sparrow Hawk) · A. erythronemius (Rufous Thighed Hawk) · A. erythropus (Western Little Sparrowhawk) · A. erythropus erythropus (Red-Thighed Sparrow Hawk) · A. fasciatus (Christmas Island Nighthawk) · A. fasciatus fasciatus (Australian Goshawk) · A. fasciatus natalis (Christmas Island Nighthawk) · A. francesiae (Frances' Sparrow Hawk) · A. francesii (Anjouan Island Sparrow Hawk) · A. francesii francesii (Frances' Sparrow Hawk) · A. francesii pusillus (Anjouan Island Sparrow Hawk) · A. gentilis (Eurasian Goshawk) · A. gentilis apache (Apache Northern Goshawk) · A. gentilis atricapillus (Northern Goshawk) · A. gentilis gallinarum (Northern Goshawk) · A. gentilis gentilis (Northern Goshawk) · A. gentilis laingi (Northern Goshawk) · A. griseiceps (Sulawesi Crested Goshawk) · A. gularis (Japanese Lesser Sparrow Hawk) · A. gularis gularis (Japanese Lesser Sparrow Hawk) · A. gundlachi (Gundlach's Hawk) · A. gundlachii (Gundlach's Hawk) · A. gundlachi gundlachi (Gundlach's Hawk) · A. haplochrous (New-Caledonia Sparrow Hawk) · A. henicogrammus (Moluccan Goshawk) · A. henstii (Henst's Goshawk) · A. imitator (Imitator Sparrow Hawk) · A. luteoschistaceus (Slaty-Backed Goshawk) · A. madagascariensis (Madagascar Sparrow Hawk) · A. melanochlamys (Black Mantled Goshawk) · A. melanoleucus (Black Sparrow Hawk) · A. melanoleucus melanoleucus (Great Sparrow Hawk) · A. meyerianus (Meyer's Goshawk) · A. minullus (African Little Sparrow Hawk) · A. minullus minullus (African Little Sparrow Hawk) · A. nanus (Celebes Little Sparrow Hawk) · A. nisus (Northern Sparrow Hawk) · A. nisus nisus (Northern Sparrow Hawk) · A. novaehollandiae (White Goshawk) · A. novaehollandiae novaehollandiae (White Goshawk) · A. ovampensis (Ovampo Sparrow Hawk) · A. poliocephalus (New Guinea Grey-Headed Goshawk) · A. poliogaster (Gray-Bellied Hawk) · A. princeps (New Britain Grey-Headed Goshawk) · A. radiatus (Doria's Goshawk) · A. rhodogaster (Vinous-Breasted Sparrow Hawk) · A. rhodogaster rhodogaster (Vinous-Breasted Sparrow Hawk) · A. rufitorques (Fiji Goshawk) · A. rufiventris (Red-Breasted Sparrowhawk) · A. rufiventris rufiventris (Rufous-Breasted Sparrow Hawk) · A. soloensis (Chinese Sparrowhawk) · A. striatus (Slate-Colored Hawk) · A. striatus perobscurus (Sharp-Shinned Hawk) · A. striatus striatus (Sharp-Shinned Hawk) · A. striatus suttoni (Sharp-Shinned Hawk) · A. striatus velox (Sharp-Shinned Hawk) · A. superciliosus (Tiny Sparrow Hawk) · A. tachiro (African Goshawk) · A. tachiro tachiro (African Goshawk) · A. toussenelii (Red-Chested Goshawk) · A. trinotatus (Spot-Tailed Sparrow Hawk) · A. trivirgatus (Asian Crested Goshawk) · A. trivirgatus trivirgatus (Asian Crested Goshawk) · A. ventralis (Plain-Breasted Hawk) · A. virgatus (Bersa Sparrow Hawk) · A. virgatus virgatus (Besra Sparrow Hawk)

More Info

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Further Reading

• Birds from the Yucatan peninsula, by Melvin A. Traylor. 24 1941 Chicago, 1941. url p. 202.
• Birds of Volcán de Chiriquí, Panama. 36 1958 [Chicago]Chicago Natural History Museum, 1958. url p. 505.
• Brigham Young University science bulletin. 9 1967 Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, [1955-1976] url p. 22.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url p. 136, p. 196, p. 42, p. 426.
• Bulletin / Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington: G.P.O., 1901-1971. url p. 354, p. 361.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: The Museum, 1950-1977. url p. 157.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 78 1935 Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 298, p. 428.
• Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. by Charles E. Hellmayr and Boardman Conover. 13 1949 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1949. url p. 69, p. 70.
• Check-list of North American birds. [Ithaca, N.Y.]1957. url p. 103.
• Check-list of birds of the world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1931-1987. url p. 221, p. 343.
• Great Basin naturalist memoirs. 1976 [Provo, Utah]Brigham Young University, 1976-1992. url fig. 18, page 61.
• Memoirs of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 13 1984 San Diego, Calif.: The Society, 1931-1989. url p. 246, p. 45.
• Occasional papers - San Diego Society of Natural History. 1959 San Diego, The Society. url p. 11.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url , p. 3.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 553, p. 583, p. 587, p. 615.
• Report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and financial report of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents for the year ending June 30. .. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1933-1965. url p. 101, p. 106.
• Report on a collection of birds from Guerrero, Mexico [by] Emmet R. Blake. 31 1950 [Chicago]Chicago Natural History Museum, 1950. url p. 378.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 138 1960 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 101, p. 174, p. 34, p. 41.
• The Canadian field-naturalist. 72 1958 Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url p. 10, p. 104, p. 108, p. 115, p. 121, p. 298, p. 34, p. 50, p. 52.
• The Great Basin naturalist. 6 1945 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 111, p. 314, p. 338.
• The birds of El Salvador, by Donald R. Dickey and A. J. Van Rossem. 23 1938 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1938. url p. 108.
• Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. [San Diego]: The Society, 1905-1989. url p. 363.
• University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. 1 1947 Lawrence, University of Kansas. url p. 198, p. 456, p. 607.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 14, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 7 providers.
• Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program, Understanding the Plants and Animals of Western Riverside County MSHCP University of California, Berkeley and Center for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside.
• Peterson, Alan P. Zoological Nomenclature Resource. Accessed June 19, 2009.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 591236
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-175305
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13888983
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 175305
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNKC12023
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 178017

Footnotes

1. Mean = 539.000 meters (1,768.373 feet), Standard Deviation = 666.110 based on 613 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.