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20 June 2019 Attack and probable predation on ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) by Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Keith L. McCullough, Thomas R. Rainwater, Mark A. McAlister, Jamie Dozier, Steven G. Platt
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Abstract

Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) feed primarily on mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, but invertebrates also comprise a significant portion of the diet. The majority of invertebrates consumed are insects and crustaceans, with the latter represented to date only by crayfish. In 2016, we observed a Red-shouldered Hawk attack and dismember another crustacean, the ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata), on a coastal beach in South Carolina, USA. Actual consumption of the crab by the hawk was not observed but is probable. Consumption of ghost crabs by Red-shouldered Hawks is not unexpected, as these crustaceans are abundant within their range, active when hawks are foraging, and occur in open habitats (beaches and dunes) where they are more vulnerable to avian predators. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Red-shouldered Hawk attacking and presumably consuming any species of crab and the first report of probable ghost crab predation by a raptor in North America.

Keith L. McCullough, Thomas R. Rainwater, Mark A. McAlister, Jamie Dozier, and Steven G. Platt "Attack and probable predation on ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) by Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 131(2), 399-402, (20 June 2019). https://doi.org/10.1676/18-151
Received: 3 October 2018; Accepted: 6 October 2018; Published: 20 June 2019
KEYWORDS
Buteo lineatus
diet
feeding
ghost crab
Ocypode quadrata
predation
Red-shouldered Hawk
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