Captive breeding of Collared Forest-Falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus) in Güirá-Oga, Misiones

The Collared Forest-falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus) is distributed from Mexico to northern Argentina, where it is vulnerable according to the latest conservation status assessment. Güira Oga, a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre located in Misiones, has been working on the breeding, rehabilitation, and release of this species since 2001. In this context, the objective of the present work is to describe one of these experiences. Three rescued and rehabilitated birds – two males and one female – were placed in a breeding chamber inside a flight cage with nest boxes. After a month, the birds began to copulate. Four months after copulation, the female laid three eggs that hatched within a month. The three adults were in charge of feeding the chicks until they were a month and a half of age, when they started feeding themselves. The chicks were then transferred to a freedom growth chamber in, where they used branches as perches and were fed by their parents and the Centre’s staff. For a week, they remained on the branches, returning to their nest in the afternoon; after the second week, they only returned to their nest looking for food. During this period, they were taught to hunt using quails and live mice. Four months after their birth, the falcons were returning to their nest less frequently. To date, eight specimens have been released and all of them have survived. This work shows that parental breeding, and release by the Hacking technique can be useful as a conservation strategy for this species.