Roadside Hawk

The Story

I made this photo of a Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. Except perhaps for dense rainforest, it is well adapted to most ecosystems in its range. Its call is a very high-pitched, piercing squeak. It often soars but does not hover. It is a fairly small bird of prey, and it is often the most common raptor in its range. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas.

I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Roadside Hawk as Least Concern, with an increasing population.

The bird

The Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) belongs to the family Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.

Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)

Conservation

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List