Mary Allen
The desert buzzard is also called Parabuteo. Translated into German, this means: “similar to the buzzard”.
Characteristics
What do desert buzzards look like?
Desert buzzards are typical birds of prey with large claws and dark plumage. As with most birds of prey, the females of the desert buzzard are larger than the males. The body length of the desert buzzard is between 45 and 60 centimeters. Its wingspan can be almost 1.20 meters. The plumage of the desert buzzard is mostly dark brown. The white plumage on the underside of the tail is striking. The strong and long beak is light blue at the top.
Where do desert buzzards live?
The Harris Hawk is native to the southwestern United States and Central and South America. In the USA, the bird of prey lives in the barren landscape of the Sonoran Desert, and further south in Mexico or Argentina it is at home along the great rivers of the jungle. Nobody will be surprised that the desert buzzard lives in the desert. The bird loves warmth and likes open terrain. But it also finds enough food in the plantations of the south and has settled there.
What species of desert buzzard are there?
Three subspecies of desert buzzard are known. They differ mainly in the drawing of their plumage. Living in the Arizona desert, the “Superior” is, as the name suggests, the largest of its kind. It is colored ocher yellow on the shoulders and pink on the legs. The Mexican “Harris” is smaller and has light brown markings on the chest and belly.
How old do desert buzzards get?
Wild buzzards live between ten and fifteen years old. In captivity, they can live up to 20 years.
Behave
How do desert buzzards live?
Desert buzzards are very social animals. They are among the few birds of prey that live in family groups. Buzzards are considered smart and are very popular with people who hunt with the help of raptors. Because the animals learn quickly. And their bond with humans is very close. For example, they follow the falconer when he roams the steppes while hunting.
The birds then fly from tree to tree and always wait until their mistress or master has caught up or overtaken them again.
Friends and foes of the desert buzzard
Buzzards have a great dislike for their rivals in the hunting grounds: the coyotes. When kept in Europe, this dislike is sometimes transferred to the dog, which resembles the coyote. However, it is possible to get a desert buzzard used for the dog so that both can be used together for hunting.
How do desert buzzards reproduce?
Building the nest and raising the young is also a family matter that everyone takes care of together. The family nests are mostly on cactus, pine, or palm trees.
In good hunting areas, desert buzzards can lay eggs and hatch young all year round. The female usually lays the first three to five eggs in March. It takes four and a half to five weeks for the young birds to hatch. Then they are fed for another six weeks. Around 40 days after hatching, the young desert buzzards dare to leave the nest for the first time.
How do desert buzzards hunt?
Buzzards hunt together under the guidance of an older, more experienced bird. They also use group strategies. A family is divided into small groups. They can hunt individually. But often a group scares the prey animals, pursues them, and drives them into the open area. There, the members of the other group lurk in ambush and eventually kill the prey.
Care
What do desert buzzards eat?
The buzzards feed on lizards, snakes, squirrels, or rats, but they also attack other birds such as eagle owls and woodpeckers. Kept in Europe, the desert buzzard also preys on rabbits, hares, pheasants, pigeons, or crows. Desert buzzard droppings contain bone debris, fur, and other non-digestible parts of the prey.
Husbandry of desert buzzards
Desert buzzards are also kept in Europe and used for hunting. Although they are more used to a hot and dry climate in their homeland, they don’t seem to mind the sometimes cold temperatures in this country. Your cage can be outside but should be sheltered from wind and snow.