Hailstorms as a cause of mass mortality of Swainson's hawks in their wintering grounds.
We describe a mass mortality event of wintering Swainson's hawks (SH, Buteo swainsoni) in central Argentina during November 2003. One hundred thirteen SH were found dead as a consequence of a single hailstorm. In addition, 14 hawks with severe injuries were recovered alive, but only 10 of these survived 1 wk later. Another 45 dead birds of 11 species were collected in the area. Interviews with local land-owners conducted in other areas of the SH wintering grounds provided further evidence of past hailstorm-related mortality involving SH, suggesting that such events commonly occur in the Argentine Pampas. This potential cause of mass mortality of SH wintering in agricultural areas of Argentina may be significant when added to the increased mortality associated with poisoning events during the last decade.
Sarasola
José Hernán
JH
Department of Applied Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Avda. de Maria Luisa s/n, Pabellón del Perú, 41013 Seville, Spain. sarasola@ebd.csic.es
Negro
Juan José
JJ
Salvador
Verónica
V
Maceda
Juan José
JJ
D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D002423:Cause of Death; D046428:Hawks; D012621:Seasons; D014887:Weather