Plate 020 · watching a lizard in the understory IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Grey head and back unmarked.
- 2Bare yellow facial skin around the eye and on the cere.
- 3Barred breast and belly finely, black and white.
- 4Short wings that do not reach far down the tail.
- 5Long black tail with 3 thin white bars.
- 6Long yellow legs. Typical of forest falcons.
Easily confused with Collared Forest FalconMicrastur semitorquatusMuch larger, with a pale collar on the nape and an unbarred breast. Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostrisPale eye, belly barred rufous and longer wings. Perches in the open at edges. 020 / 100 · BIRDS · FALCONIDAELEAST CONCERN Barred Forest Falcon
Micrastur ruficollis
Halcón montés chico
A forest falcon with short wings and a long tail, built for hunting among tree trunks. It waits motionless in the gloom and dashes at small birds and lizards. It is heard more than seen: its dry, barking call carries at dawn.
- Length
- c. 35 cm
- Altitude
- 400 – c. 1,800 m
- Wings
- short and rounded
- Subspecies
- M. r. olrogi
- Forest raptor
- Ambush hunter
- Active at dawn
- Resident
Altitude rangeInside the forest
All year Lives inside foothill and montane forest, where there are tall trees and a dense understory. The upper limit in Tucumán is approximate.
FoodAn ambush hunter
- Small birdsof the understory
- Lizardson trunks and ground
- Small rodentsforest mice
- Large insectsoccasional
It hunts from a low, hidden perch. At times it follows mixed flocks of small birds to surprise one.
BehaviourPatience in the gloom
- Motionless. It spends long periods still on low branches inside the forest.
- Calls at dawn. A dry, repeated bark that carries far.
- Short chase. Short wings and a long tail let it twist between trunks.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Río Los Sosa
- PN Aconquija