Manipulación de objetos inanimados en juveniles de Gavilán Mixto (Parabuteo unicinctus) en ambientes urbanos de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Julián E. Lorenzi; Agustin I. Casale; Mariela Borgnia

doi:10.56178/na.v71i.1199

Novel Records Published 11 September 2026 https://doi.org/10.56178/na.v71i.1199

Manipulation of inanimate objects by juvenile Harris’s Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) in urban environments of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Accipitridae behavior Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus play raptors

Julián E. Lorenzi Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES, CONICET-UNLu), Universidad Nacional de Luján, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Agustin I. Casale División Ornitología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” (MACN-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina | Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mariela Borgnia Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES, CONICET-UNLu), Universidad Nacional de Luján, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

The Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) is a diurnal raptor belonging to the order Accipitriformes, noted for its complex social behavior and its plasticity to inhabit a wide variety of environments, including those highly modified by human activity, such as urban centers. In this study, we describe two unusual records of juvenile individuals grasping and manipulating pine cones (Pinus sp.). These observations may represent the first report of this behavior of inanimate objects manipulation for the species and provide relevant insights into the putative learning and development of predatory skills during early life stages.

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References

Bednarz JC (1988) Cooperative hunting Harris’ hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus). Science 239(4847): 1525-1527. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.239.4847.1525
Bednarz JC (1995) Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus). En: Poole A, Gill F (eds) The Birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington D.C., pp 1–24
Bednarz JC, Hayden TJ (1991) Skewed brood sex ratio and sex-biased hatching sequence in Harris’s Hawks. The American Naturalist, 137: 116-132. https://doi.org/10.1086/285149
Colbert-White EN, McCord EM, Sharpe DI, Fragaszy DM (2013) String-pulling behaviour in a Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus. Ibis 155(3): 611-615. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12040
Debus SJS (1984) Further notes on nesting Little Eagles. The Australian Bird Watcher 10(6): 196–201
Dwyer JF, Bednarz JC (2020) Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), version 1.0. En: Birds of the World, Poole AF (ed). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.hrshaw.01. Accedido el 27/7/2026
Harrington KJ, Lambert ML (2024) Object play in wild Striated Caracaras (Falconidae). Journal of Raptor Research 58(2): 212-220. https://doi.org/10.3356/jrr-23-19
Kitowski I (2005) Play behaviour and active training of Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) offspring in the post-fledging period. Journal of Ethology 23(1): 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-004-0120-8
Leveau LM (2021) The Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) in urban areas of Argentina: Arrival in Mar del Plata City and green area use in Buenos Aires City. Animals 36(1): 41–47. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041023
Narosky T, Yzurieta D (2010) Aves de Argentina y Uruguay. Guía de identificación. Edición total. Vázquez Mazzini Editores, Buenos Aires
Sherrod SK (1983) Behavior of fledgling Peregrines. The Peregrine Fund, Ithaca, New York
Thiollay JM (1994) Family Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles). En: del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, pp 52–205

How to cite

Julián E. Lorenzi, Agustin I. Casale, Mariela Borgnia (2026). Manipulation of inanimate objects by juvenile Harris’s Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) in urban environments of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Nuestras Aves, Vol. 71 (2026). https://doi.org/10.56178/na.v71i.1199

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[1] Bednarz JC (1988) Cooperative hunting Harris’ hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus). Science 239(4847): 1525-1527. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.239.4847.1525

[2] Bednarz JC (1995) Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus). En: Poole A, Gill F (eds) The Birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington D.C., pp 1–24

[3] Bednarz JC, Hayden TJ (1991) Skewed brood sex ratio and sex-biased hatching sequence in Harris’s Hawks. The American Naturalist, 137: 116-132. https://doi.org/10.1086/285149

[4] Colbert-White EN, McCord EM, Sharpe DI, Fragaszy DM (2013) String-pulling behaviour in a Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus. Ibis 155(3): 611-615. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12040

[5] Debus SJS (1984) Further notes on nesting Little Eagles. The Australian Bird Watcher 10(6): 196–201

[6] Dwyer JF, Bednarz JC (2020) Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), version 1.0. En: Birds of the World, Poole AF (ed). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.hrshaw.01. Accedido el 27/7/2026

[7] Harrington KJ, Lambert ML (2024) Object play in wild Striated Caracaras (Falconidae). Journal of Raptor Research 58(2): 212-220. https://doi.org/10.3356/jrr-23-19

[8] Kitowski I (2005) Play behaviour and active training of Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) offspring in the post-fledging period. Journal of Ethology 23(1): 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-004-0120-8

[9] Leveau LM (2021) The Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) in urban areas of Argentina: Arrival in Mar del Plata City and green area use in Buenos Aires City. Animals 36(1): 41–47. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041023

[10] Narosky T, Yzurieta D (2010) Aves de Argentina y Uruguay. Guía de identificación. Edición total. Vázquez Mazzini Editores, Buenos Aires

[11] Sherrod SK (1983) Behavior of fledgling Peregrines. The Peregrine Fund, Ithaca, New York

[12] Thiollay JM (1994) Family Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles). En: del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, pp 52–205