The
Laughing Falcon,
Herpetotheres cachinnans, also called the
Snake Hawk (erroneously, since it is not a
hawkThe term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
), is a medium-sized
bird of preyBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh. In most cases,...
in the falcon family (
FalconidaeThe falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that comprise the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
), the only member of the genus
Herpetotheres. This Neotropical species is a specialist
snake-eaterOphiophagy is a specialized form of feeding or alimentary behavior of animals which hunt and eat snakes. There are ophiophagous mammals , birds , lizards , and even other snakes, such as the Central and South American mussuranas and...
. Its common and scientific name both refers to its distinctive voice.
Its English name comes from its loud voice, as does the
specific nameIn zoological nomenclature, a specific name is the second part in the name of a species...
cachinnans,
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
for "laughing aloud" or "laughing immoderately". The generic name
Herpetotheres refers to its preferred food; it is Latinized
Ancient GreekAncient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic , Classical , and Hellenistic periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, derived from
[h]erpeton (ἑρπετόν, "
reptileReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
") +
therizein (θερίζειν, "to mow down").
Its relationships with other members of the Falconidae are unclear. Traditionally it has been placed in the subfamily
PolyborinaePolyborinae is a subfamily of the falcon family, Falconidae. It contains the caracaras, forest falcons, and Laughing Falcon. All species in this subfamily are native to the Americas. The composition of Falconidae is disputed, and Polyborninae is not featured in the American Ornithologists' Union...
with the
caracaraCaracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
s and
forest falconForest falcons are members of the genus Micrastur, part of the family Falconidae. They are endemic to the Americas, being found from Mexico in north, south through Central America, and large parts of South America, as far south as northern Argentina...
s, but the
American Ornithologists' UnionThe American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
's North American Check-list Committee now places it in the same subfamily as the
true falconsFalconinae is a subfamily of the bird family Falconidae. In its traditional classification, it contains the falcons, falconets, and pygmy falcons. Depending on the authority, Falconinae may also include the caracaras and/or the Laughing Falcon....
, while the South American Check-list Committee places it with the forest falcons but not the caracaras, and it has also been considered a subfamily of its own.
Description
The Laughing Falcon is 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 in) long and has a wingspan of 79 to 94 cm (31 to 37 in). As usual among birds of prey, the females are bigger, weighing 600 to 800 g compared to the males' 410 to 680 g.
Adults have a pale buff head, changeable between a more brownish and an almost white hue according to feather wear and individual variation. The broad black face mask stretches across the neck as a narrow collar, bordered with white. On the crown, the feather shafts are dark, producing a somewhat streaked effect. The upper wings and back are blackish brown. The uppertail coverts are whitish buff again, and the rectrices are barred black and whitish, ending in white. The underside is uniformly pale buff; there may be a bit of dark speckling on the thighs, however. The underside of the wing is pale rufous-buff, sometimes with some dark spotting on the underwing coverts. The tips of the primary remiges are barred with pale grey below, their bases are quite rufous. The
irisThe iris is a membrane in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupil and the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel...
is dark brown, the bill is black with a pale yellow
cereThe cere or operculum is a soft, fleshy swelling found on the beaks of certain birds. Hawks, parrots, doves, skuas and budgerigars are among the birds that have ceres. The word 'cere' is often used synonymously with 'beak', although the two are not identical...
; the feet are also pale yellow.
Immature birds differ little from adults; they have lighter margins to the back feathers, producing a scalloped effect. The light parts of the plumage are almost white, paler than in adults; the unfeathered parts are also paler. Nestlings are covered in peculiarly dense
downThe down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding,...
, reminiscent of a duckling's; they are generally brownish buff, darker above, and already show the blackish facial marks of the adults.
With its big white (immature) or pale buff (adult) head having a dark brown mask from the eyes around to the nape, it is unmistakable. In flight it shows a rufous patch near each wingtip (formed by the basal parts of the primaries) and a shape more like an
AccipiterThe genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks.These birds are slender with short broad rounded wings and a long tail which helps them manoeuvre in flight. They have long legs and long sharp talons used to kill their...
hawkThe term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
than most of its
falconA falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The word comes from their Latin name falco, related to Latin falx because of the shape of these birds' wings.-Overview:...
relatives, with short, rounded wings and a long tail.
Voice
The namesake call is a long series of separate, rather human-like cries, each one often rising sharply in pitch in the middle and sometimes falling sharply at the very end, changing from a "joyful" to a "sad" sound, and rendered as
ha-ha-ha har-her-her or
haww harr herrer. The series may be introduced by faster
hahahahahaha calls suggestive of maniacal laughter, particularly when the bird is startled. Sometimes two birds call together at different pitches and tempos, producing a striking off-beat
interferenceIn physics, interference is the addition of two or more waves that results in a new wave pattern.Interference usually refers to the interaction of waves that are correlated or coherent with each other, either because they come from the same source or because they have the same or nearly the same...
.
The Laughing Falcon has another call, typically given at
duskDusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. It is often confused with sunset, which is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon. The sky generally remains bright and blue for some time after the sun sets. This period is known as twilight. Dusk is the end of the evening civil...
. This two-note call is preceded by a series of
gwa notes given every half-second or so. They become more emphatic and after some time change to a sequence of the
gwa co call proper, with the first syllable higher in pitch than the second, but not differing in emphasis or volume. The
gwa co call may be repeated 50 times or more. Sometimes, the initial calls are a
oo oo-oo cow-cow-cow, sometimes a descending
gwaaaaaaa..... On occasion, the two-syllable call is not given, and instead the simple
gwa is repeated as often as the full call.
The familiarity of these sounds in the American tropics is attested to by such common names as
acauã (
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
),
halcón macagua,
guaco,
halcón guaco, and
guaicurú (
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
), and
guaycurú (
GuaraníGuaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí-Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by 88% of the population, with half of the...
).
Distribution and ecology
It is found from both coastal slopes of
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
through
CentralManagua
Guatemala City
San Salvador
San Pedro Sula
Panama City
San José, Costa Rica
Santa Ana, El Salvador
León
San Miguel|-|}...
and
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
south to Amazonian
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
and
BoliviaBolivia, officially Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, and Chile and Peru to the west....
, practically all of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
, and northern
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
and
ParaguayParaguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay , is one of the two landlocked countries which lie entirely within the Western Hemisphere, the other being Bolivia, both in South America....
, at altitudes up to 1500 m (rarely to 2400 m in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
), though it is often absent from mountainous regions. It occupies varied habitats, usually including at least scattered trees; it prefers humid regions to
aridA region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
ones and tends to avoid closed forest. It is generally not
migratoryBird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. These however are usually irregular or in only one direction and are termed variously as nomadism, invasions,...
, though in some areas it may make seasonal movements.
The flight is slow, with quick, shallow wingbeats interspersed with glides; the bird rarely if ever
soarsSoaring may refer to:* Lift , a meteorological phenomenon used as an energy source by some aircraft and birds* Soaring , a magazine produced by the Soaring Society of America* Aircraft that use this phenomenon:** Gliding...
. When it lands, it will jerk the tail forcefully just like a
wagtailThe wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
. A Laughing Falcon frequently and often conspicuously stays on a
perchPerca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae...
for hours, sitting upright and observing the ground alertly, sometimes flicking its tail or nodding, or moving around a bit on its perch with slow, cautious little steps. It is generally peaceful and unlike other
falconA falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The word comes from their Latin name falco, related to Latin falx because of the shape of these birds' wings.-Overview:...
s will not harm smaller birds.
It catches mainly
snakeSnakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, including venomous ones such as
coral snakeThe coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups: New World coral snakes and Old World Calliophis snakes. There are three genera among New World coral snakes that consist of over 65 recognized species.-North American Coloration Patterns:Coral snakes...
s, and also
lizardLizards are a very large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s, and, to a lesser extent, small
rodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s,
batBats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera . The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than...
s and
centipedeCentipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda and the Subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. A key trait uniting this group is a pair of venom claws or forcipules formed from a modified first appendage...
s. The Laughing Falcon pounces on its prey from flight, often with an audible thud, and then biting it just behind the head, sometimes removing the head in the process. It carries the food to a perch to eat. It may carry small snakes in its bill and swallow them tail-first; big snakes may be carried head-forward in its claws, as an
OspreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimetres in length with a 1.8 metre wingspan...
carries a fish, and then torn to pieces.
Breeding
The Laughing Falcon breeds in rock crevices, tree cavities, or occasionally in abandoned nests of a
ButeoButeo is a genus of medium-sized wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in North America...
hawk or
caracaraCaracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
; in general however it does not even gather nesting material in significant quantities. It lays one or two eggs according to some sources, but according to others always just one. The eggs have heavy dark brown markings on a brown or whitish or pale buff background. The young are thought to leave the nest eight weeks after hatching.The breeding season has been given as April and May, though it may well vary across the large range of this
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
.
External links