In the weeks that follow, fledglings will continue to move further from the nesting site as they grow bigger and more confident. Taxonomy The collared forest falcon is a member of the order Falconiformes in the family Falconidae. The largest member of the genus Micrastur, it has two recognized subspecies: M. s. naso and M. s. semitorquatus. The former occurs in regions starting from Mexico south descending through Central America towards the west Andes in Colombia, Ecuador and extreme northwest Peru. Alternatively, the latter is found mostly on the east side of the Andes. Other members of the Micrastur genus include: Barred forest falcon, Micrastur ruficollis Plumbeous forest falcon, Micrastur plumbeus Lined forest falcon, Micrastur gilvicollis Cryptic forest falcon, Micrastur mintoni Slaty-backed forest falcon, Micrastur mirandollei Buckley's forest falcon, Micrastur buckleyi M. semitorquatus at first was thought to include the species M. buckleyi, however this conclusion was disregarded after the description of a female and immature Buckley's forest falcon was done by Amadon (1964). The latter termed them different species and this view has been kept since then. Morphological traits adapted to flying in a dense forest habitat - shorter rounded wings, long legs and tail - represent an example of convergent evolution with the Accipiter species. Distribution and habitat The species is commonly found in many Central and South American countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The species is extremely widespread, with a total estimated population between 500,000 and 5 million individuals. Furthermore, they are year-round residents of their Latin American home. Due to their distinct morphology, the collared forest falcon is able to inhabit a variety of habitats from moister regions such as mangroves, tropical and rain forests to gallery forest and tall second growth. They tend to prefer regions where the undergrowth is relatively dense and where they can move and hunt more easily within it. They range from sea level to 2500 m elevation. Around ten territorial pairs are estimated to occupy a 100 km2 area. However, these estimates are based on radio telemetry of individuals during the breeding season and therefore they may be different in another context. Behaviour Vocalizations The call of the forest falcon has been described as a distinctive low, almost human-like ow or ahr. During the breeding season, these vocalizations can be heard