About Buteo brachyurus Vieillot, 1816
The short-tailed hawk (Buteo brachyurus) is an American bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae, a group that also includes eagles and Old World vultures. As a member of the genus Buteo, it is not classified as a true hawk, so it is also called a "buteo", or "buzzard" in regions outside North America. Its close relative, the white-throated hawk (B. albigula), was formerly included within the species B. brachyurus.
Short-tailed hawks breed across tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas. Their breeding range extends from southeastern Brazil and northern Argentina north through Central America, reaching the mountains along the Mexico-Arizona border in the United States, and also includes southern Florida, U.S. The species is also found on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It generally occurs at elevations below 1,400 m (4,500 ft) above sea level, and is most common below 760 m (2,500 ft). In the Andes from southern Colombia south to central Argentina and Chile, the short-tailed hawk is replaced by the white-throated hawk. The short-tailed hawk lives in Colombia's Cordillera Central and Cordillera Occidental, while B. albigula occurs in areas south of these mountain ranges. As far as current knowledge goes, B. brachyurus is a year-round resident throughout most of its range; the only exception is that most of the Florida population migrates to the southern tip of the state, including the Florida Keys, for winter.
The species is somewhat adaptable to different habitats, but only travels through areas with dense human populations while foraging. It can be found in wooded savannah, patchy woodlands near water, cypress swamps, mangrove swamps, and high pine-oak woodlands. In the tropics, it is most common in lowland foothills. Most information about the short-tailed hawk's natural history comes from studies of the Floridian population, so this knowledge may not apply to populations living further south within the species' range. In general, the short-tailed hawk is associated with woodland habitats, often located near water.
