Common Black Hawk
Buteogallus anthracinus
The Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) is a uncommon kites, old world vultures, eagles, and hawk found in 19 countries, weighing about 975 g. The common black hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and vultures.
About the Common Black Hawk
The common black hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and vultures.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The adult common black-hawk is 43–53 cm (17–21 in) long and weighs 930 g (33 oz) on average. It has very broad wings, and is mainly black or dark gray. The short tail is black with a single broad white band and a white tip. The bill is black and the legs and cere are yellow. The adults resemble zone-tailed hawks, but have fewer white bars on their tail and are larger in size. Sexes are similar, but immature birds are dark brown above with spotting and streaks. Their underparts are buff to whitish with dark blotches, and the tail has a number of black and white bars.
What the Common Black Hawk sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Cuba, French Guiana, St. Lucia.
When to see it
The Common Black Hawk can be seen all year round, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Black Hawk?
- The adult common black-hawk is 43–53 cm (17–21 in) long and weighs 930 g (33 oz) on average. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Black Hawk?
- The Common Black Hawk is a large sized bird weighing about 975 g.
- Where can you see a Common Black Hawk?
- The Common Black Hawk occurs in 19 countries, including Costa Rica, the United States, Mexico, Panama and Belize.
- What does a Common Black Hawk sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Common Black Hawk on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Common Black Hawk?
- The Common Black Hawk is most easily confused with the Savanna Hawk, the Great Black Hawk and the Cuban Black Hawk.
- Is the Common Black Hawk endangered?
- The Common Black Hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Black Hawk for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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