Cooperative hunting by a pair of Plumbeous Kites (Ictinia plumbea)
Cooperative hunting, which requires the coordinated efforts of individuals belonging to the same (or even different) species to capture, or increase the probability of capturing, relatively large or elusive prey, has been reported for several species of diurnal raptors, including falcons (Hecto...
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Neotropical Ornithological Society
2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | http://repositorio.unne.edu.ar/handle/123456789/59993 |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | Cooperative hunting, which requires the
coordinated efforts of individuals belonging
to the same (or even different) species to capture, or increase the probability of capturing,
relatively large or elusive prey, has been
reported for several species of diurnal raptors,
including falcons (Hector 1986, Yosef 1991,
Leonardi 1999, Eakle et al. 2004), Harris’
Hawks (Mader 1979, Bednarz 1988), and
eagles (Collopy 1983, Folk 1992). This behavior is not frequently observed, most likely due
to the low population densities of these birds
and their furtive habits, among other reasons;
thus, its occurrence may be underestimated.
No records of this behavior exist for some
birds of prey; in other cases, only scarce information is available. The Plumbeous Kite (Ictinia plumbea) is a species of medium size,
the males being slightly larger than females
(38 cm vs. 34 cm in length), although somewhat lighter (239 g vs. 255 g body mass,
respectively) (Haverschmidt 1962, Rodríguez
Mata et al. 2006). It is widely distributed in the
Neotropics (Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2005),
and its diet consists mainly of insects (cicadas,
beetles, dragonflies, orthopterans, lepidopterans, and hymenopterans) mostly captured in
flight, and to a lesser extent amphibians, lizards, snakes, birds, and bats (Skutch 1947,
Haverschmidt 1962; Seavy et al. 1997, 2012).
Only one instance of cooperative hunting by
Plumbeous Kites has been documented
(Seavy et al. 1997). |
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