White Hawk
The White Hawk (Leucopternis albicollis) is a bird of prey that is found in the tropical New World. It ranges from southern
Mexico through Central and South America to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It also breeds on Trinidad. The White Hawk’s range in central South America is the entire Amazon Basin, from the Andes on the west to the Guianas on the Atlantic on the northeast, and to the transition lands to the south. There are four subspecies: L. a. ghiesbreghti from Southern Mexico to Nicaragua, L. a. costaricensis from Honduras to Panama and Colombia, L. a. williaminae from north-western Colombia and western Venezuela, L. a. albicollis from Northern Colombia and central Venezuela to Brazil. Its habitat is lowland forest and other woodlands.
The adult White Hawk is 18 to 22 inches in length with very broad wings. It has a white head, body and underwings. The upperwings are black. The short tail is black with a broad white band. The bill is also black and the legs are yellow. Sexes are similar, but females are larger and heavier. Females weigh 29.66 ounces compared to the male’s 23 ounces. The young have extensive black spotting on the upperparts and dark-streaked white underparts. The call is a mournful kerwee.
The diet of the White Hawk consists mainly of reptiles, but it also consumes insects and mammals. It is sometimes found among foraging groups of Tufted Capuchin monkeys and coatimundis and will snatch prey startled by these animals. This bird is often seen soaring, and has a spectacular aerial courtship display. The nest is a large stick platform in a tree. The female lays typically one blotched blue-white egg.