The barred forest falcon (Micrastur ruficollis) is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Herpetotherinae of family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It occurs from southern Mexico south through most of Central America and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
Taxonomy and systematics
The barred forest falcon has these six subspecies:
M. r. guerilla Cassin, 1849
M. r. interstes Bangs, 1907
M. r. zonothorax (Cabanis, 1866)
M. r. concentricus (Lesson, 1830)
M. r. ruficollis (Vieillot, 1817)
M. r. olrogi Amadon, 1964
What is now the lined forest falcon (M. gilvicollis) was previously included as a seventh subspecies.
Description
The barred forest falcon is 31 to 39 cm (12 to 15 in) long. Males weigh 144 to 184 g (5.1 to 6.5 oz) and females 200 to 322 g (7.1 to 11.4 oz). Adults of most subspecies are typically dark slate gray above; the tail is tipped with white and has three to six narrow white bars. The throat is pale gray, shading to the darker slate of the crown. The rest of the under parts, including the under-wing coverts, are white, finely and clearly barred with black or dark gray. The upper breast is a darker gray. The primary remiges are dark brownish-gray with off-white bars on the inner webs. Subspecies, M. r. zonothorax is polymorphic (at least in the northern part of its range), and also occurs in a brown morph, where most of the upperparts, head, and chest are brown or rufous instead of gray. The nominate subspecies M. r. ruficollis appears to only occur in the rufous-brown morphotype, as also suggested by its scientific name, M. r. ruficollis.
The eyes are cream to light orange brown; the bill black, becoming yellow at base of the lower mandible; the cere, lores, and orbit are yellow, and the legs are orange-yellow.
Immature in São Paulo, Brazil
Distribution and habitat
The subspecies of the barred forest falcon are found thus:
M. r. guerilla, from San Luis Potosí in central Mexico south to Nicaragua, but...
