Gray hawk
Asturina nitida
Identification Tips:
- Sexes similar
- Small buteo
- Broad, rounded wings
- Hooked beak
- Short broad tail
- Yellow legs and cere
Adult:
- Gray upperparts
- Underparts barred gray and white
- Dark tail with two white bands, one wider than the other
- White uppertail coverts
- Pale underwings
Immature:
- Dark brown upperparts
- Underparts heavily streaked
- White supercilium contrasting with dark eyeline
- Dark malar streak
- Brown tail with numerous darker bands
Similar species:
Gray and white plumage of adult similar only to adult male Hook-billed
Kite but kite has larger bill, more boldly marked primaries, and darker
underwings. Immature Gray Hawk is similar to immature Broad-winged Hawk and
immature accipiters but has white uppertail coverts, stronger face pattern,
and more bands on the tail.