Oct 5

Bird of the day

Ridgway's hawk

Buteo ridgwayi

Ridgway's hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae endemic to the island of Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean. It is classified as Critically Endangered because of habitat destruction and human persecution in the Dominican Republic; however, due to conservation efforts, the population is now increasing.

It is named in honour of the ornithologist Robert Ridgway.

B. ridgwayi is a medium-sized, compact hawk, measuring 36–41 cm long. The adult has brown-grey upperparts and greyish barred underparts, with a reddish-brown wash, rufous-tinged thighs, and a black-and-white barred tail. The male is more grey than the female, and the legs and the base of bill are yellow.

Aliases

Buteo ridgwayi, Ridgwayís hawk, Ridgwayis hawk