Great Black Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
Uncommon in forest, marshes, and mangroves, where usually greatly outnumbered by similar Common Black Hawk. Slightly larger and lankier than Common Black Hawk, with longer legs and tail, and adults of the two species have very different calls in flight. Adult Great Black has 2 white tail bands (1 on Common) and less extensive yellow in face. Immature looks whiter-headed than Common (no big black moustaches), and its longer tail has narrower and more numerous pale bars. Usually warier than Common, which can be quite unconcerned by people.
Identification
The adult great black hawk is 56 to 64 centimetres (22 to 25 in) long and weighs 1.1 kilograms (2 lb 7 oz). It resembles the common black hawk, but is larger with a different call and tail pattern. It has very broad wings, and is mainly black. The short tail is white with a broad black tip. The bill is black and the legs and cere are yellow.<p>The sexes are similar, but immature birds are dark brown above with spotting and streaks. Their underparts are buff with dark spots, and the tail has a number of black and dusky bars. The call of the great black hawk is a distinctive piping ooo-wheeeeee.
Taxonomy
The great black hawk was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the eagles, hawks and relatives in the genus Falco and coined the binomial name Falco urubitinga. Gmelin's description was ultimately based on the "urubitinga" that had been described in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. The great black hawk is now one of nine species placed in the genus Buteogallus was introduced in 1830 by the French naturalist René Lesson. The name genus is a portmanteau of Buteo, a genus introduced in 1779 by Bernard Germain de Lacépède for the buzzards and the genus Gallus introduced in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson for the junglefowl. The specific epithet urubitinga is from Tupi Urubú tinga meaning "big black bird" for such a raptor.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Buteogallus urubitinga
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Buteogallus
Range and habitat
The great black hawk is a resident breeding bird in the tropical New World, from Mexico through Central America to Peru, Tobago and northern Argentina. It is a mainly coastal bird, but also lives in forests and open woodland near water.<p>A great black hawk was first recorded in the ABA area on South Padre Island, Texas in April 2018. In August of that year the same individual, based on similarities in what is highly variable immature plumage, resurfaced in Biddeford, Maine. This individual was ranked as the #1 "Craziest Vagrant of 2018" by the ABA.<p>After disappearing for several months it reappeared in Deering Oaks park in Portland, Maine, where it remained a resident until being rescued during a snow storm on January 20, and transported to the bird rehab facility Avian Haven. The bird was euthanized on January 31 at Avian Haven due to extensive frostbite which prevented blood from reaching either leg or foot. In January 2020 it was mounted and is set to be displayed at the Maine State Museum.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous Nightjar
Antrostomus rufus
Fairly large nightjar with a wide distribution from Costa Rica to southern Brazil. Very similar in appearance to Chuck-will’s-widow, but little range overlap. Most obvious feature on Rufous Nightjar is the pale collar around the neck; also note the overall dark rufous tones to the plumage. Males flash white outer tail feathers in flight. Strictly nocturnal and most easily detected by voice: an introductory “chuck” note followed by a rolling whistled “whip, whip, WEE-oo” (recalls Chuck-will’s-widow but with a different pattern and more rolling tone). Occurs in wooded habitats, often around forest edge with thick understory.
Bar-tailed Lark
Ammomanes cinctura
A small, delicate, and pale lark of sandy arid zones. Has a unique cinnamon-sand tone overall with faint breast streaking. In flight, prominent dark terminal tail band. Very similar to Desert Lark, but its bill is small and “sweet.” Song is a high-pitched “See-suuu, see-suuu,” like a creaking swing. Call is a soft “chup.”
Tibetan Eared-Pheasant
Crossoptilon harmani
Distinctive slate-gray pheasant with a bright red face, scraggly fan-shaped tail, and bizarre white whiskers (the namesake “ears”). Also note black cap, pale gray rump, and whitish belly. Restricted to the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, where it inhabits areas with dense scrubby or brushy cover. Typically at 3000-5000 meters, though it is known to descend in the winter. Regularly found around monasteries which put food out for wildlife. Forages on the ground in small to medium-sized flocks. Can be vocal, giving high-pitched grunts and a rising squeal: “gu-tse-WEEW!"
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.