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.
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

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

