The bicolored hawk, while relatively uncommon, can be seen from southeastern Mexico, to Central America, and throughout much of South America. They can be found at elevations of up to 8,900 feet. These hawks face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of farming, ranching, logging, residential, and commercial developments; tourism and general human disturbances; and roads, that divide their territory and can result in vehicle strike (being hit by vehicles). However, they are abundant enough to be listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Their population trend, however, is listed as decreasing.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Astur bicolor
Weight: Up to 15.9 ounces
Length: Up to 18 inches
Wingspan: Up to 27 inches
Lifespan: Up to 15+ years
Now on to the Facts!
1.) These hawks were formally described by the French ornithologist Louis Vieillot in 1817.
2.) Bicolored hawks are closely related to the Cooper’s hawk.
3.) There are 4 subspecies recognized: A. b. fidens, A. b. guttifer, A. b. pileatus, and of course A. b. bicolor.
4.) They are considered the 2nd largest species of hawk in Central and South America, with the rare grey-bellied hawk being number 1.
5.) As is the case with all hawks, the female is much larger than the male. This is known as sexual dimorphism.
But wait, there’s more on the bicolored hawk!
6.) These hawks prefer forested areas such as tropical and subtropical rainforests, humid forest edges, woodlands, and gallery forests, often near rivers; as long as there is plenty of tree cover.
7.) Due to their inconspicuousness and shyness, these hawks are hard to spot.
Did you know…?
There are an estimated 4,999,999 wild individuals remaining, to date.
8.) Males can be heard emitting a soft, clear whistle and females a loud “cac cac cac” when near their nest and young. A barking “kra-kra-kra-kr-kr-kr-ka” can also be heard from both sexes. During incubation, males produce a sharp “kek” sound upon arrival to the nest with food, to which the female replies with a nasal “wreh” sound.
9.) Smaller birds like thrushes, mockingbirds, small doves, rats, mice, bats, reptiles, large insects, and occasionally squirrel monkeys & tamarins are all preyed upon.
10.) Females produce up to 3 eggs that hatch in up to 3 weeks.
11.) The female broods the eggs and tends to the young while the male forages for food for the family.
Now a Short Bicolored Hawk Video!
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
Photo credit: Chris Jimenez
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