The mangrove black hawk (''Buteogallus anthracinus subtilis'') is a neotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae native to South and Central America. Briefly treated as a distinct species, ''Buteogallus subtilis'', recent evidence strongly suggests it should be considered a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

common black hawk The common black hawk (''Buteogallus anthracinus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Description The adult common black-hawk is long and weighs on average. It has very ...

(''Buteogallus anthracinus''). Clark, W. S. 2007. Taxonomic status and distribution of Mangrove Black Hawk Buteogallus (anthracinus) subtilis. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 127:110-117.

Range and habitat

The mangrove black hawk is a resident breeding bird from eastern Panama, through western

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and Ecuador, to far north-western Peru. Previously, it was incorrectly believed to occur as far north as Mexico, but all individuals from western Panama and northwards are nominate common black hawk. This is a mainly coastal bird of Pacific mangrove swamps, estuaries and adjacent dry open woodland, which builds a large stick nest in a mangrove tree, and usually lays one dark-blotched whitish egg.

Characteristics

The adult mangrove black hawk is 43–53 cm long and weighs around 930 g. It has very broad wings, and is mainly black with a brownish cast to the upper-wings. The short tail is black with a single broad white band and a white tip. The bill is black and the legs and cere are yellow. Sexes are similar, but immature birds are dark brown above with spotting and streaks. Their underparts are buff to whitish with dark blotches, and the tail has a number of black and white bars. The call of the mangrove black hawk is a distinctive piping '.

Diet

The mangrove black hawk feeds mainly on

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s, but will also take small vertebrates and eggs. This species is often seen soaring, with occasional lazy flaps, and has a

talon Talon or talons may refer to: Science and technology * Talon (anatomy), the claw of a bird of prey * Brodifacoum, a rodenticide, also known as the brand Talon * TALON (database), a database maintained by the US Air Force * Talon, an anti-vehicle- ...

-touching aerial courtship display.

References

* Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q661606

mangrove black hawk The mangrove black hawk (''Buteogallus anthracinus subtilis'') is a neotropics, neotropical bird of prey in the family (biology), family Accipitridae native to South and Central America. Briefly treated as a distinct species, ''Buteogallus subtil ...

Birds of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena