Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Black-faced Hawk
Leucopternis melanops
Black-faced Hawk (Leucopternis melanops) — Birds of Prey of South America.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Black-faced Hawk (Leucopternis melanops) is a member of the Accipitridae family found in South America. Adults weigh 312 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Accipitriformes
- Family Accipitridae Kites, Hawks, Eagles
- Genus Leucopternis
- Species melanops
Quick facts
- Weight
- 312 g
- Diet
- Vertebrate hunters
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Black-faced Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Black-faced Hawk is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Black-faced Hawk (Leucopternis melanops) belongs to the Accipitridae family of the order Accipitriformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA n Amazonia.
It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 312 g, with a wing length of about 21.1 cm and a tail of around 13 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 2.6 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Black-faced Hawk?
The Black-faced Hawk is a large bird that weighs around 312 g.
Where does the Black-faced Hawk live?
The Black-faced Hawk is found across South America with a range covering SA n Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Black-faced Hawk belong to?
The Black-faced Hawk (Leucopternis melanops) belongs to the Accipitridae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Black-faced Hawk eat?
The Black-faced Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Does the Black-faced Hawk migrate?
The Black-faced Hawk is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Black-faced Hawk endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Black-faced Hawk make?
1 real field recording of the Black-faced Hawk — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Black-faced Hawk's range?
The Black-faced Hawk has a mapped global range of about 2.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Meet the Accipitridae
A field guide to the Accipitridae family — 254 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.