Birds & Birding in Costa Rica: – Costa Rica’s national motto and tourism slogan, “La Pura Vida” loosely translates to Live Life or Enjoy Life. With over 900 bird species recorded in Costa Rica, there is certainly lots to enjoy! With 12 of the world’s 18 life zones, its diverse landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide habitat for a wide range of iconic birds A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
COMMON BLACK HAWK – (Species Account Blog #92)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Accipitriformes,
- FAMILY: Accipitridae,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Buteogallus anthracinus
The Common Black Hawk is an entirely black hawk with broad wings and short tail with a distinct white band. Flight feathers are slightly paler and it has long yellow legs and yellow on the base of the bill. (from Birds of the World)
SIMILAR SPECIES
Adults of the Zone-tailed Hawk and Common Black Hawk are easily confused, especially when perched as individuals of both species have, on first glance, an all-black body, black wings, a thick medial and narrow terminal white band on the tail, yellow legs and cere, and a black-tipped bill. However, the plumage of the Zone-tailed Hawk is more distinctly black as it lacks the typical grayish cast of the Common Black Hawk.
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we observed several Common Black Hawks while near Mata de Limón and while on the Tour de Bote on the Tárcoles River, Puntarenas.
PHOTO GALLERY
**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.
- A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
- PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
Reflections of the Natural World 