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At the Escarpment
Meet some of Belize’s amazing birds of prey!
© Santiago Restrepo Calle
Long, upward slopes called escarpments offer a good chance of seeing some of the many raptor species found in Belize. Shaped like a compact Red-tailed Hawk, White Hawks are white overall with black markings and scan the landscape for reptile prey. Bat Falcons have a darkly barred chest and cinnamon belly, and chase down swifts, dragonflies, and the bats that give them their name. Ornate Hawk-Eagles stand over two feet tall and are capable of catching monkeys.
BirdNote®
At the Escarpment
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
In northwestern Belize a long, upward slope leads to a clearing at the edge of an escarpment. This rocky outcropping offers a sweeping view of the tropical forest below. As the morning sun causes warm air to rise, a pair of White Hawks soars into view, the male calling.
[White Hawk, XC 188653, 0:15-0:19]
In flight, a White Hawk is shaped like a compact Red-tailed Hawk. Sparkling white overall with black markings, its plumage is striking for a hawk. The pair scans below for reptile prey.
[White Hawk, XC 188653, 0:15-0:19]
A diminutive, dark falcon — a Bat Falcon — swoops in, alighting on a bare branch.
[Bat Falcon, ML 59199, 0:33-0:36]
Its blue-black head is patterned like a Peregrine Falcon’s. The white upper breast contrasts with a darkly barred chest and cinnamon belly. This 10-inch falcon hunts on the wing, chasing down swifts, dragonflies, and the bats that give it its name.
[Bat Falcon, ML 59199]
[Ornate Hawk-Eagle, ML 287386631]
Now a rhythmic cry draws attention to a large raptor — an Ornate Hawk-Eagle — perched at the forest edge with a Spider Monkey in its talons. More than two feet tall, the hawk-eagle’s head and neck are handsomely patterned in black, white and rust below a tall black crest. Its underparts are finely barred in black and white.
[Ornate Hawk-Eagle, ML 287386631]
It’s still morning. What splendid raptor might show up next?
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. White Hawk Xeno Canto 188653 recorded by R. Dela Rosa, Bat Falcon ML 59199 recorded by P. Schwartz, and Ornate Hawk-Eagle ML 287386631 recorded by R. Hatt.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote August 2022 October 2024 Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# escarpment-01-2022-08-26 escarpment-01
Bob Sundstrom
Writer