The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124 ( 4 ): 758 - 766 , 2012 
SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF THE RED-TAILED HAWK IN THE 
LUQUILLO MOUNTAINS OF PUERTO RICO 
FRANCISCO J. VILELLA 1 ' AND WYATT F. NIMITZ 12 
ABSTRACT. The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a top predator of upland ecosystems in the Greater Antilles 
Little information exists on the ecology of the insular forms of this widely distributed specie! wTsliednTvelen" 
l m l 0 , 2002 in * he “ northeastern Puerto Rico. 
Moumls 1 m S m dU,Ca,e h ° mC rangC - C ° rC ;irea shifl " ‘*" d macrohabitat use in the Luquillo 
characteri/ed wide ranlinp e h T ,rct,UCn "- V pc, chcd ncar "* “»P of canopy emergent trees and were 
h^actenzed by rang mg capabilities and extensive spatial overlap. Home range size averaged 5.022.6 = 832.1 ha 
3 5 86 2-348 5 u i f IV ** ' species had large mean wecklv movements 
Fleeted f "rf t V'T ° W «W~ fragmentation of contiguous fores, outside 
protected areas ,n Puerto Rico may benefit the Red-,ailed Hawk. Received 28 Fehruan 2012. Accepted V Mas ViP 
Oceanic islands are recognized as important 
repositories of biodiversity and are a critical com¬ 
ponent of global conservation strategies (Myers 
et al. 2000. Donazar et al. 2002). Raptors have key 
toles in the food web of oceanic island ecosystems 
given the virtual absence of native mammalian 
predators (Losos and Ricklcfs 2009). The Red¬ 
tailed Hawk ( Buteo januiicensis) is one of the 
most widespread raptors in the Americas (Johns- 
gard 1990. Preston and Beane 2009). The eastern 
Caribbean region of Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands (east to St. Kitts and Nevis) represents the 
southeastern limit of the species’ geographic 
range where the non-migratory subspecies B. 
jamaicensis januiicensis occurs (Ratfade et al. 
1998, Preston and Beane 2009). This species is 
common in coastal and upland forests of Puerto 
Rico where it coexists with six other resident 
raptors including the endangered subspecies of the 
Broad-winged Hawk (B. platypte/us bnmnescens) 
and Sharp-shinned Hawk ( Accipiter striatus ventit - 
i°r), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura). Puerto 
Rican Screech-Owl (Orus nudipes), Short-eared 
Owl (Asia flamnieus), and American Kestrel 
(Fa/co sparverius). Little is known about the 
ecology Of the Red-tailed Hawk in its neotropical 
lange, including the Caribbean (Bildstein et al 
1998, Raffaele el al. 1998). A number of studies 
have examined movements of Red-tailed Hawks in 
and p * ?f vey ' Cooperative Fish 
WM f F ,h M!nl S '°P 96 ‘ JI ' of 
W.ldlde, Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mississippi Siutc 
University, Mississippi State. MS 3976'’ USA 
“Current address: U.S. Fores, Service. Coconino Nation- 
'Corresponding author; e-mail; fvilella@cfr.msstate.edu 
North America, but information on spatial dynam¬ 
ics in neotropical environments is mostly absent. A 
limited number ol studies have been conducted of 
the Red-tailed Hawk in the Luquillo Mountains, 
including dispersal of juveniles from natal areas 
and temporal stability of territories in portions of El 
'f unque National Forest (Santana and Temple 
1988. Boal et al. 2003). 
Our objectives were to: (1) quantify Red-tailed 
Hawk spatial dynamics, and (2) habitat use in the 
Luquillo Mountains, namely El Yunque National 
Forest and surrounding private lands. Specifically, 
we report annual and seasonal home ranges and 
movements, including shifts in core area use, and 
provide information on resource selection at the 
macrohabitat level. 
METHODS 
Stiu/x Area. —Our study was conducted in the 
Luquillo Mountains of northeastern Puerto Rico 
including El Yunque National Forest (18 10' N. 
63 30 W) and adjacent private lands (Fig. 1). El 
Yunque National Forest (El Yunque) encompass¬ 
es 11,332 ha of subtropical rainforest in northeast 
Puerto Rico with elevations ranging from 20 
to 1.079 m. Mean annual precipitation is 200- 
300 cm, increasing with elevation. Wind speed at 
the highest elevations averages 18 km/hr. The 
vegetation structure of El Yunque reflects forest 
regeneration following agricultural abandonment 
and serai responses to hurricane-induced distur¬ 
bances (Foster et al. 1999). 
El \ unque encompasses five life zones char¬ 
acterized by lour dominant forest types along an 
elevation gradient (Wunderle and Arendt 2011). 
Life zones include: subtropical moist forest 
(< 200 m asl) dominated by palma real 
738 
