Objective.

This paper describes and discusses patterns of behavior of M. chimachima related to nesting, feeding, parental care, learned behaviors, vocalizations and mobbing.

Materials and methods.

Between the months of January and May, 2017, synchronized and parallel linear transects were applied to the location of birds in the urban area of Santiago de Tolú, Sucre Colombia; subsequently, four fixed observation points were established for recording the different evaluated behaviors.

Results.

It was established that the construction of nests agrees with that established for the species, and contributions were made to the knowledge of parental care and learning processes. For the first time, three types of flight were described. It was evident that there are differences in the food consumed by adults and juveniles, with fishing and removing ticks from cattle as activities only carried out by mature individuals. It was recorded for the first time that P. sulphuratus (Aves, Tyrannidae) harasses M. chimachima (Aves, Falconidae), a behavior associated with parental care.

Conclusions.

The results contribute to knowledge on the ethology of this falconiform species of common occurrence in the Colombian Caribbean.

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