Photo: Terry Ross from Corpus Christi, Texas, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Harris’s Hawk
Parabuteo unicinctus
Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) — Birds of Prey of North America.
Found across 17 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) is a member of the Accipitridae family found in Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Adults weigh 850 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 Parabuteo
- Species unicinctus
Where it lives
Southwestern USA to southern Argentina and Chile
Quick facts
- Weight
- 850 g
- Diet
- Vertebrate hunters
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Endangered
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Harris’s Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Harris’s Hawk is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) belongs to the Accipitridae family of the order Accipitriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Its distribution covers NA, MA, SA sw USA to s Argentina and Chile.
It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 850 g, with a wing length of about 32.1 cm and a tail of around 22.2 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 9 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Harris’s Hawk?
The Harris’s Hawk is a large bird that weighs around 850 g.
Where does the Harris’s Hawk live?
The Harris’s Hawk is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America with a range covering NA, MA, SA sw USA to s Argentina and Chile, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Harris’s Hawk belong to?
The Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) belongs to the Accipitridae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Harris’s Hawk eat?
The Harris’s Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Does the Harris’s Hawk migrate?
The Harris’s Hawk is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Harris’s 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 Harris’s Hawk make?
1 real field recording of the Harris’s 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 Harris’s Hawk's range?
The Harris’s Hawk has a mapped global range of about 9 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.