Elanus leucurus

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Transient

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) RESIDENT: locally from southwestern Washington south to northwestern Baja California (mainly in Central Valley of California), in Florida (small resident population), and from southern Texas south through Mexico to South America (northern Colombia to Guianas, eastern Brazil through Paraguay, northern Argentina, and Chile; Ridgely et al. 1989); recent breeding in Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi; numerous recent occurrences throughout the southern U.S.

Length: 41 cm

Weight: 350 grams

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

Comments: Savanna, open woodland, marshes, partially cleared lands and cultivated fields, mostly in lowland situations (Tropical to Temperate zones) (AOU 1983).

Nests in trees, often near a marsh, usually 6-15 m above the ground in branches near the top of a tree. Generally builds a new nest for each clutch (Palmer 1988).

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Tends to move seasonally but evidence of actual migration is lacking (Palmer 1988).

Comments: Diet in the U.S. is almost exclusively voles and mice (MICROTUS, MUS, REITHRODONTOMYS); pocket gopher sometimes is a secondary item. See Palmer (1988) for a brief review of foods elsewhere.

Elanus leucurus preys on:
Microtus californicus

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

In southern California, communal roosting occurs in fall-winter; location of roost may shift during that period.

In northwestern California, 26 territories ranged from 1.6-21.5 ha (mean 7.8 ha); territories were largest in areas where vole density and total raptor abundance were relatively low (Dunk and Cooper 1994).

Comments: In southern California, arrived at communal roost generally between sunset and dark; activity begins early in morning (see Palmer 1988). Hunts mostly in early morning and late afternoon (Panama, Ridgely et al. 1989).

Maximum longevity: 5.9 years (wild) Observations: The record longevity of this species is 5.9 years for a banded animal that was shot (http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/).

Female incubates usually 4-5 eggs for about 30-32 days; male provides food. Young leave nest in 30-35 days (or more). Sometimes two broods/year. Some may breed at one year (Palmer 1988).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 3 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 3
Specimens with Barcodes: 5
Species With Barcodes: 1

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Population