Chou Toshio
Over9000
Since we have threads all-out about loving Cats and Dogs, I thought a general animal love thread would be fine-- but this one not just about mindless glomping over animals, but instead talking about "favorite animals" and all the weird animal facts you may have accumulated in your life.
Rules:
1) Fact posts should focus on one animal. (but response posts can be literally anything)
2) If you want to post more, make more posts-- feel free to post more. (read: double posting on animal fact posts is cool here)
3) No "pure glomp" posts please (jumping spiders are cute!-- they are though :3), post something intelligent.
(extinct animals are fair game too!)
With that, my first to get the thread started:
Almost looking like a miniature golden eagle, the Harris's Hawk is a beautiful bird. However despite its eagle-like facial features, the Harris Hawk is indeed, a hawk and a very unique one at that--
Harris Hawks are basically the only members of their own genus, Parabuteo-- and don't quite fit in with any of the four "standard groups" of diurnal raptors: (1) The largest, eagles, (2) The fastest, falcons, (3) The forest hunting "true hawks" (accipiters), and not quite like (4) The long-soaring meadow hunters, the buteos.
Its features (and genetics) are closest to buteo hawks (such as the red-tailed hawk and common buzzard), but it has features similar to an accipiter (true hawks), with thinner wings and a longer tail than most buteos (ie. it's faster and turns faster but is worse at soaring extended periods).
However, what's really unique about the Harris's Hawk is its social behavior.
Harris's Hawks live and hunt in social groups called packs (they are not called flocks). I believe they are the only pack hunting bird of prey.
Like wolf packs, Harris's Hawk packs use formations to flush out, corner, and attack prey. However, when a kill is made, there is a whole lot less organization in feeding order (frenzy!).
Harris's Hawks also mate abnormally-- with life a bit more complicated than the for-life breeding pairs formed by other raptors. Generally, there is one dominant breeding male and female in each pack (again, like wolves), but it's not uncommon for the dominant female to mate with multiple males; and nest duties are usually handled by 3 individuals at a time.
Truly, a unique and fascinating bird.
Rules:
1) Fact posts should focus on one animal. (but response posts can be literally anything)
2) If you want to post more, make more posts-- feel free to post more. (read: double posting on animal fact posts is cool here)
3) No "pure glomp" posts please (jumping spiders are cute!-- they are though :3), post something intelligent.
(extinct animals are fair game too!)
With that, my first to get the thread started:
Almost looking like a miniature golden eagle, the Harris's Hawk is a beautiful bird. However despite its eagle-like facial features, the Harris Hawk is indeed, a hawk and a very unique one at that--
Harris Hawks are basically the only members of their own genus, Parabuteo-- and don't quite fit in with any of the four "standard groups" of diurnal raptors: (1) The largest, eagles, (2) The fastest, falcons, (3) The forest hunting "true hawks" (accipiters), and not quite like (4) The long-soaring meadow hunters, the buteos.
Its features (and genetics) are closest to buteo hawks (such as the red-tailed hawk and common buzzard), but it has features similar to an accipiter (true hawks), with thinner wings and a longer tail than most buteos (ie. it's faster and turns faster but is worse at soaring extended periods).
However, what's really unique about the Harris's Hawk is its social behavior.
Harris's Hawks live and hunt in social groups called packs (they are not called flocks). I believe they are the only pack hunting bird of prey.
Like wolf packs, Harris's Hawk packs use formations to flush out, corner, and attack prey. However, when a kill is made, there is a whole lot less organization in feeding order (frenzy!).
Harris's Hawks also mate abnormally-- with life a bit more complicated than the for-life breeding pairs formed by other raptors. Generally, there is one dominant breeding male and female in each pack (again, like wolves), but it's not uncommon for the dominant female to mate with multiple males; and nest duties are usually handled by 3 individuals at a time.
Truly, a unique and fascinating bird.
Last edited: