Family Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae)
Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus)
Taxonomy
Falco anthracinus
W. Deppe
, 1830,Veracruz, Mexico
.Taxonomy unstable, with variety of recent treatments: race subtilis (with rhizophorae and bangsi) commonly treated as a separate species, but recent review#R could find no clear-cut phenotypical differences; B. gundlachii usually included in present species, but differs in its overall browner plumage with more, and more conspicuous, pale feather tips (2); much larger white underwing patch (2); presence of ill-defined malar stripe (2); lack of any mottled rufous panel in wing (ns[2]); alarm call consisting of 3–4 notes vs 9–24 in nominate anthracinus#R (allow 2); and smaller size (fide published measurements#R) (at least 1); form utilensis sometimes synonymized with subtilis; populations of St Vincent (Lesser Antilles) and SW USA sometimes awarded separate races, respectively cancrivorus and micronyx. Five subspecies currently recognized.
Feeding
I saw a bird in Drake Bay, Costa Rica attacking an adult Bare-throated Tiger Heron and just barely missing it. Both were perched high in a tree. Quite a big prey it would have been.