About the Savanna Hawk
The savanna hawk is a large raptor found in open savanna and swamp edges. It was formerly placed in the genus Heterospizias. It breeds from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia, Uruguay and central Argentina. There are also reports of it in California, from 1973 in Alameda County and from 1974 in San Diego County.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The savanna hawk is 46–61 cm (18–24 in) in length and weighs 845 g (29.8 oz). The adult has a rufous body with grey mottling above and fine black barring below. The flight feathers of the long broad wings are black, and the tail is banded black and white. The legs are yellow. The call is a loud scream keeeeru. Immature birds are similar to the adults but have darker, duller upperparts, paler underparts with coarser barring, and a whitish supercilium. This species perches very vertically, and its legs are strikingly long.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States.
When to see it
Peak activity in October · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Great Black HawkButeogallus urubitingaThe adult great black hawk is 56 to 64 centimetres (22 to 25 in) long and weighs 1.1 kilograms (2 lb 7 oz).
Common Black HawkButeogallus anthracinusThe adult common black-hawk is 43–53 cm (17–21 in) long and weighs 930 g (33 oz) on average.
Cuban Black HawkButeogallus gundlachiiThe species has an average body length of 53 cm (21 in).
Side by side: Common Black Hawk vs Savanna Hawk
Learn the Savanna Hawk for real
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