- Leucopternis semiplumbeus
Identification
31–36 cm (12¼-14¼ in)
A small, stocky, short-winged hawk
- Bluish-grey head and upperparts
- Pink cere
- White underparts
- Yellow iris
Distribution
Central and South America: found in the humid forests of Honduras to western Colombia and north-western Ecuador
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Humid lowland forests, forest edges and areas of fragmented forests.
Behaviour
Diet
They sit quietly in the canopy, waiting for a prey individual (includes a wide range of small vertebrates) to reveal itself, and then darts toward it with lightning speed.
Their diet is not well recorded, but is known to consist of lizards and snakes, and they may also attack other birds at army ant swarms.
Action
They fly fast above or through the canopy.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2016)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Semiplumbeous Hawk. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Semiplumbeous_Hawk
