Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
Great Black Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
Great Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) — Birds of Prey of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Great Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) is a member of the Accipitridae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 1.2 kg. 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 Buteogallus
- Species urubitinga
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1.2 kg
- Diet
- Vertebrate hunters
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Endangered
Not Evaluated
Endangered
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Great Black Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Great Black Hawk is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Great Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) belongs to the Accipitridae family of the order Accipitriformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA Mexico to n Argentina.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.2 kg, with a wing length of about 40 cm and a tail of around 25.6 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 13.1 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Great Black Hawk?
The Great Black Hawk is a very large bird that weighs around 1.2 kg.
Where does the Great Black Hawk live?
The Great Black Hawk is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Mexico to n Argentina, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Great Black Hawk belong to?
The Great Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) belongs to the Accipitridae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Great Black Hawk eat?
The Great Black Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Does the Great Black Hawk migrate?
The Great Black Hawk is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Great Black 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 Great Black Hawk make?
1 real field recording of the Great Black Hawk — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Great Black Hawk's range?
The Great Black Hawk has a mapped global range of about 13.1 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.