Buteogallus woodwardi
Extinct species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buteogallus woodwardi is an extinct species of eagle that lived in North America.[1] Remains have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits in the United States. Although formerly placed in the extinct genus Amplibuteo, it is currently recognised as a member of the still extant black hawk genus Buteogallus, within the subfamily Buteoninae that are chiefly referred to as buzzards or hawks. Remains formerly referred to the species from Cuba are now placed in the separate species Buteogallus irpus.[2]
| Buteogallus woodwardi Temporal range: Upper Pleistocene, | |
|---|---|
| |
| Skeleton from the La Brea Tar Pits | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Buteogallus |
| Species: | †B. woodwardi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Buteogallus woodwardi (L. Miller 1911)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description and ecology
It is one of the largest birds of prey ever found, with an estimated total length 95.6 to 110.2 cm (37.6 to 43.4 in), slightly larger than the Harpy eagle. Haast's eagle reached bigger lengths and appears to have been also more robust than Buteogallus woodwardi – Haast's was a forest-dwelling species.[1] Buteogallus woodwardi appears to have hunted in open habitats, taking primarily small mammals and reptiles.[1]
It has been suggested that Buteogallus woodwardi might be particularly similar to the Chaco and solitary eagles. The Chaco and solitary eagles were previously classified in Harpyhaliaetus, but this genus, as with Amplibuteo, was later merged into Buteogallus. Chaco and solitary eagles sport broad wings, short but wide tails, and dark coloration across the body with noticeable crests above the occipitals which Buteogallus woodwardi might have also had. The diet of modern solitary eagles has also suggested to be broadly similar, if on a smaller scale compared to their extinct relative, with reptiles and small mammals making up a large component of food resources. Scaled up to the size of Buteogallus woodwardi, and it is likely the Buteogallus woodwardi was hunting similar prey in open habitats up to the size of small deer.[3]
