The Common Black-Hawk is hawk of the tropical Americas that reaches the United States in southern Arizona and New Mexico. They are just summer breeding residents in the U.S., as birds in the U.S. portion of their range move southward into Mexico and Central America for the winter. Strongly associated with water, they are most often found on coastlines or near inland water sources.
Habitat
In the U.S. portion of its range, Common Black-Hawks are almost always found near water sources, such as small streams and rivers with surrounding trees and riparian vegetation. In the tropical Americas, they can be found in a wider variety of habitats, but still have a preference for being near water sources.
Diet
Feeds on a variety of small animals, but tends to have a preference for animals found in and around water sources. Prey items may include fish, frogs, salamanders, lizards, small snakes, small birds, rodents and other small mammals, large insects, and crayfish and crustaceans. Crabs are a preferred food item in much of their tropical range, if available.
Behavior
Hunting is typically done by perching relatively low to the ground, looking for prey and swooping down to capture it when spotted. They will also sometimes walk along a shoreline or even in shallow water as they hunt. Less commonly, they can be seen in slow, low, gliding flights looking for food..
Nesting
The nest of a Common Black-Hawk is typically in a streamside tree in the United States, most often a tall sycamore or a cottonwood. The nest itself is a large platform of sticks, lined with green leaves and twigs. Both parents help to build the nest, incubate the eggs, and raise the young.
Song
The Common Black Hawk gives a distinctive series of high-pitched, whistled calls often rendered as klee-iiir, usually delivered in descending or wavering notes. These clear whistles are frequently heard during courtship, territorial displays, and soaring flights above rivers, wetlands, and wooded canyons. Compared with its dark appearance, the voice is surprisingly thin and piercing.
Migration
Considered a permanent resident throughout most of its range, but it is only a summer breeding resident in the United States portion of its range..
Similar Species
Similar to the Mangrove Black-Hawk (which may be a sub-species of the Common Black-Hawk), but in the U.S. portion of its range, most likely to be confused with the Zone-tailed Hawk , Short-tailed Hawk , or Broad-winged Hawk .
From Zone-tailed Hawk
- Zone-tailed Hawk is slimmer, longer-winged, and longer-tailed, often flying with a pronounced dihedral (raised-wing) posture similar to a vulture.
- Common Black Hawk appears bulkier and broader-winged with a shorter tail.
- Adult Zone-tailed Hawks show several narrow pale bands across the tail, whereas Common Black Hawks have a single broad white tail band and a white tail tip.
From Short-tailed Hawk
- Short-tailed Hawk is noticeably smaller and more compact.
- Dark-morph Short-tailed Hawks can appear almost entirely black below, but they usually show a contrasting pale throat and different wing shape.
- Common Black Hawks have broader wings, heavier bodies, and the distinctive broad white tail band.
From Broad-winged Hawk
- Broad-winged Hawk is much smaller and more compact
- Broad-winged Hawks typically show multiple narrow pale tail bands rather than a single bold white band.
Range and habitat can be important. Common Black Hawks are strongly associated with rivers, wetlands, riparian forests, and wooded streams in the Southwest, Mexico, and Central America. Zone-tailed Hawks occur in similar southwestern regions but are more often seen soaring over open country and canyonlands. Broad-winged Hawks are primarily eastern forest hawks, while Short-tailed Hawks are largely birds of Florida, the Caribbean, and tropical America.
Conservation Status
There are currently no perceived major threats to Common Black-Hawk populations, and the IUCN cites it as a species of "Least Concern" . They do seem to be a little more affected by human disturbance than some American hawk species, and will abandon nesting locations if human disturbance becomes common.
Photo Information
Photo by Victor Burolla - February 18th, 2005 - Costa Rica - Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic License
Interactive eBird Map
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