Mantled hawk

Mantled Hawk
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Accipitriformes
Sub-order	Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily	Accipitroidea
Family	Accipitridae
Sub-family	Buteoninae
Genus Information
Genus	Pseudastur
Species Information
Species	P. polionotus
Synonyms	Leucopternis polionota
Population statistics
Population	3,500-15,000 (2016 est.)
Conservation status	Near threatened

The mantled hawk (Pseudastur polionotus) is a species of bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found in eastern South America.

Description

The mantled hawk is medium-sized, with a body length of 18.5 to 20.2 inches, and a wingspan of 46.4 to 50.7 inches. Females are slightly larger than males. It is predominately white in color, from the head, neck, and upper back to the underwing coverts; the underside of the primaries and secondaries are light gray, darkening at the tips, and mildly-barred. The lower back, base of the tail, and wings are colored bluish-slate.

The call is a piercing whistle "weeeuw", with some slurring.

Range and habitat

The mantled hawk is found within a range of roughly 100 miles of the Atlantic coast in South America, from Alagoas southward to Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and from there westward to southeastern Paraguay. It is found within humid forests of lowland and mid-elevations and foothills, secondary growth, and in Paraná plantations, from sea-level to 4,500 feet elevation.

Threats

The mantled hawk is fairly common within its Brazilian range, yet three records exist of its range in Paraguay, and is now believed to be extinct there. The ICUN has classified this species as "near threatened" due to habitat loss. Deforestation and human activity which has transformed the landscape to agricultural and/or industrial use, mining, urbanization, and related road construction have been cited as reasons for this species decline.