The Amanu Hawk is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Like many raptors, the female is slightly larger than the male, and can measure up to 90 cm (35 in) long with a wingspan of up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft), and weigh 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Amanu are often used as sacred symbols and thought to have special powers. They are thought to be guardians that help recently deceased souls find peace. They are indigenous to the island of Iokeihiko.
Description
The Amanu Hawk was first formally described by the Hwoxin naturalist Yalnak Camrat in 980 AE in the seventh edition of his Majorata. The adult's plumage is white, with black flight feathers in the wings. The bill is slender and long, and black in color. The nostril is an elongated horizontal slit. The neck feathers are long and form a hackle. The wings are pointed, with the third primary being the longest; the tail is wedge shaped. The legs are pink in adults and grey in juveniles. The claws are long and straight, and the third and fourth toes are slightly webbed at the base. The sexes are indistinguishable in plumage; however, females average slightly larger and are about 10–15% heavier than males.
Amanu Hawks are endemic to Iokeihiko but found elsewhere only in captivity. On the island they typically reach soaring heights of 2,600 metres (6,600 ft) in spring and summer to reach their ideal nesting areas on the cliffs of the Makomos.
Behavior and Ecology
The amanu hawk is generally territorial; some birds form permanent pairs that inhabit territories throughout the year, while others are nomadic. The species is monogamous, with pairs remaining together until one bird dies, after which the surviving bird quickly seeks a new mate. This can lead to some nest sites being continuously occupied for many years. Much of the amanu hawk's behavior, particularly breeding, remains poorly known. The species is easily disturbed by humans, especially when nesting, and may desert nesting sites as a result. It is found in greater numbers in areas with little or no human impact or interference.
Amanu hawks are mostly silent but make high-pitched mewing or hissing notes at the nest and screeching noises when squabbling at a carcass. They also hiss or growl when threatened or angry.
The amanu hawk is an opportunistic carnivore and consumes a wide variety of animal prey, including carrion. The amanu hawk hunts mainly aquatic animals, such as fish, turtles and sea snakes, but it takes birds and mammals (including flying foxes) as well. It is a skilled hunter, and will attack prey up to the size of a swan. It often catches fish by flying low over the water and grasping it in its talons. It prepares for the strike by holding its feet far forward and then strikes backwards while simultaneously beating its wings to lift upwards. Generally, only one foot is used to seize prey. The amanu hawk may also dive at a 45 degree angle from its perch and briefly submerge to catch fish near the water’s surface. amanu hawks feed alone, in pairs, or in family groups. A pair may cooperate to hunt. Prey can be eaten while the bird is flying or when it lands on a raised platform such as its nest. The amanu hawk skins the victim as it eats it. It is exceptionally efficient at digesting its food, and disgorges only tiny pellets of fragmented bone, fur and feathers.
The breeding season is in spring. During the beginning of the breeding season, courting pairs soar high together and one or both may make steep spiraling or swooping dives. A pair of amanu hawks performs skillful displays of flying before copulation: diving, gliding and chasing each other while calling loudly. They may mirror each other, flying 6-8 feet apart and copying each other swooping and swerving. A talon-grappling display has been recorded where the pair will fly high before one flips upside down and tries to grapple the other's talons with its own. If successful, the two then plunge cartwheeling before separating as they approach the ground.
The nest is a large deep bowl constructed of sticks and branches, and lined with such materials as grass or seaweed. Yearly renovations result in nests getting gradually bigger. Cliffs are suitable nesting sites. A breeding pair spends three to six weeks building or renovating the nest before laying eggs. Normally a clutch of two dull, white, oval eggs are laid. They are incubated over six weeks before hatching. Initially, the male brings food and the female feeds the chicks, but both parents feed the chicks as they grow larger. Although two eggs are laid, it is unusual for two young to be reared successfully. One egg may be infertile, or the second chick may die in the nest. If the first clutch is lost, the parents may attempt a second brood.
Once the birds begin to forage on their own, they move away from their parents' territory; young birds have been found nearly 500 km away from their nest site. The full adult plumage is attained in the fourth or fifth year. Amanu hawks have been known to live for up to 37 years in captivity and at least 21 years in the wild.
The amanu hawk is also known for its use of stones as tools. When a large egg is located, the bird walks up to it with a large pebble held in its bill and tosses the pebble by swinging the neck down over the egg. The operation is repeated until the egg cracks from the blows. They prefer using rounded pebbles to jagged rocks. Tests with both hand-reared and wild birds suggest that the behavior is innate, not learned by observing other birds, and displayed once they associate eggs with food and have access to pebbles. Another case of tool-use involves the use of a twig as a tool to roll up and gather strands of wool to use for lining the nest.
Threats and Conservation
Healthy adults do not have many predators, but human activities pose many threats. Collisions with power lines, hunting, intentional poisoning, lead accumulation from ingesting gunshot in carcasses, and pesticide accumulation take a toll on populations. Young birds at the nest are sometimes taken by golden eagles, eagle owls, and red foxes. Only rarely do adult birds attempt to drive away predators. Young birds that fall off of cliff ledges may be preyed on by mammalian predators such as jackals, ax cats, and wolves. Like all birds they serve as hosts for ectoparasitic birdlice as well as organisms that live within them such as mycoplasmas.
In Culture
The bird was held sacred to Axwil Tav in ancient Echtoan religion. In several stories, they act as guardians that help recently deceased souls find peace. They are also seen leading saints in courageous acts in mythology, song, and visual art. The use of the amanu as a symbol of royalty in Trebori culture made the species a common import for hunting and domestic use as early as 1000 AE. By contrast, Brikxta sportsmen considered them to be among the ugliest birds, leading to the failure of attempted amanu populations in both Brikxta and Fylan.
A southern temple near Teshin was famed for a pair of birds that reputedly visited the temple for centuries. These birds were ceremonially fed by the temple priests and arrived before noon to feed on offerings. Although normally punctual, the failure of the birds to turn up was attributed to the presence of sinners among the onlookers.
On the southern islands, amanu hawks are considered special and killing them is forbidden. Its calls at night are said to foretell danger, and seeing a group of calling hawks flying overhead is a sign that someone has died. Local uembian folktales tell of the amanu hawk as ancestor of all birds in Ternomei.
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