Chinese sparrowhawk

Chinese sparrowhawk
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Tachyspiza
Species:	T. soloensis
Binomial name
Tachyspiza soloensis (Horsfield, 1821)

The Chinese sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza soloensis) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

Taxonomy

The Chinese sparrowhawk was formally described in 1821 by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield under the binomial name Falco soloensis. Horsfield designated the type locality as the Solo River, on the Indonesian island of Java.[2][3] This species was formerly placed in the large and diverse genus Accipiter. In 2024 a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study of the Accipitridae confirmed earlier work that had shown that the genus was polyphyletic.[4][5] To resolve the non-monophyly, Accipiter was divided into six genera. The genus Tachyspiza was resurrected to accommodate the Chinese sparrowhawk and 26 other species that had previously been placed in Accipiter. The resurrected genus had been introduced in 1844 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[6] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ταχυς (takhus) meaning "fast" with σπιζιας (spizias) meaning "hawk".[7]

Description

It is 30–36 cm in length, with the female larger than the male. Adults have prominent black wing tips. The male is grey above, white below and has red eyes. The female has rufous on breast and underwing coverts, and yellow eyes. Juveniles have a grey face, brown upperparts and yellow eyes. The top underparts are streaked, while the thighs are barred. The black wing tips are not as prominent and underwings streaked (except for coverts).

Distribution and habitat

It breeds in Southeast China, Taiwan, Korea and Siberia; winters in Indonesia and Philippines, passing through the rest of Southeast Asia. It lives mainly in forests but sometimes lives on edges. It sometimes migrates in small groups.[8]

Diet

In its breeding range, it feeds mainly on frogs, but will take lizards and other small invertebrates as well. It occasionally eats small birds and mice.[8] In its wintering range, this species feeds heavily on cicadas.[9]

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Accipiter soloensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22695503A93512856. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695503A93512856.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
2. Horsfield, Thomas (1821). "Systematic arrangement and description of birds from the island of Java". Transactions of the Linnean Society. 13: 133–200 [137].
3. Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 328.
4. Catanach, T.A.; Halley, M.R.; Pirro, S. (2024). "Enigmas no longer: using ultraconserved elements to place several unusual hawk taxa and address the non-monophyly of the genus Accipiter (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society: blae028. doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blae028.
5. Mindell, D.; Fuchs, J.; Johnson, J. (2018). "Phylogeny, taxonomy, and geographic diversity of diurnal raptors: Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, and Cathartiformes". In Sarasola, J.H.; Grange, J.M.; Negro, J.J. (eds.). Birds of Prey: Biology and conservation in the XXI century. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. pp. 3–32. ISBN 978-3-319-73744-7.
6. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
7. Jobling, James A. "Tachyspiza". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
8. Min, Xiao; Gao, Zijing; Lin, Yuanfeng; Lu, Chang-Hu (2021-07-29). "Annual Long-Distance Migration Strategies and Home Range of Chinese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter soloensis) from South China". Animals. 11 (8): 2237. doi:10.3390/ani11082237. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 8388367. PMID 34438694.
9. Pratt, Thane K.; Beehler, Bruce M.; Anderton, John C.; Kokay, Szabolcs (2014). Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition. Princeton University Press. p. 295. ISBN 9781400865116.