RFI: Crane Hawk specimen formerly at UMRC

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: Good morning. : This is directed to those Miami-Dade birders who have been around for a while (e.g., Bob Kelley, Mickey Wheeler et al.). : Sometime around 1993 or 1994, the University of Miami gave up its bird collection to use the space for other purposes. The bulk of the collection went the Field Museum at Chicago, but especially significant Florida specimens stayed in Florida, at Archbold Biological Station. I was on the trip that went to Miami to sort through the specimens and pick those that Glen Woolfenden et al. wanted to keep at Archbold. : One of these specimens is of a male Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens), catalog number UMRC 7520. According to the specimen tag, the bird was "found flying free" in nw Miami in Apr or May 1972 and was kept in captivity by a "Mrs. Arthur Gasche" until its death on 2 Aug 1973, when it was donated to UMRC. : To my knowledge, the existence of this specimen has never been published in the ornithological literature. I listed it among the "Exotic Birds of Florida" in my bird-finding guide published by ABA in 1996, and this may be the only _published_ mention of the specimen anywhere. : It seems like a long shot, but can any reader of this list shed additional light on this specimen? : Crane Hawks are native from northern Mexico south through South America, and the only accepted North American record is one that was photographed at Santa Ana NWR, Texas, from 20 Dec 1987 through 9 Apr 1988. : Thanks. : : Best regards, : Bill Pranty : Avon Park, Florida

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