Gundlach's Hawk Accipiter gundlachi Scientific name definitions

Gunlach’s Hawk is endemic to the Island of Cuba. As with most Accipiter, its habitat preferences are not highly specialized. Minimally, it requires forests in which it can conceal its hunting approaches to avian prey items, which include parrots, pigeons, doves, crows, nighthawks and thrushes. Though never common, Gundlach’s Hawk was distributed throughout Cuba, but unfortunately much of the suitable habitat has been heavily degraded and the species only persists in five isolated populations that, in total, harbor between 150-200 pairs. The Gundlach’s Hawk is closely related to the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) of North America, and forms a superspecies with it and the Bicolored Hawk (Accipiter bicolor) of Central and South America.

40–46 cm; female 675 g (1 Jiménez, A., I. García-Lau, A. González, L. Mugica, and M. Acosta (2014) Valores de masa corporal de 183 especies de aves cubanas. Revista Cubana de Ciencias Biológicas 3:22–42. Close ); wingspan 74–84 cm (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Similar to but intermediate in plumage between A. cooperii and A. bicolor, differing from former in grey breast and cheeks, from latter in grey-and-rufous barring on belly and thighs. Adults dark grey above; tail broadly banded light and dark grey; blackish-grey cap contrasts with largely pale bill; greyish-white flanks and undertail-coverts conspicuous against darker fine grey barring on rufous-brown thighs and belly; irides orange to orange-red; cere greyish; feet yellow. Female averages 7–11% larger than male (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and has longer tail. Immature dark brown above, with brown to blackish streaking below, spotting on underwing, greenish-yellow irides and paler feet than adult. Race wileyi very similar to nominate race; adults slightly paler above and greyer on cheeks and breast; juveniles with longer, darker streaks below and heavier markings on thighs (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Not specialized: populations of W & C Cuba nest in low submontane (under 800 m) evergreen forest, and also in semi-deciduous marshy forest, at forest edge, and along forested coastline; E race nests in better-developed forests, and also pine forest, cloud forest, riverine forest, and dry evergreen microphyllous forest, as well as in tropical rainforest. One nest found in mangrove (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Recorded from sea-level to 1100 m in E Cuba (3 Kirkconnell, A., G. M. Kirwan, O. H. Garrido, A. D. Mitchell, and J. W. Wiley (2020). The birds of Cuba: An Annotated Checklist. British Ornithologists’ Club Checklist No. 26. British Ornithologists’ Club, Tring, United Kingdom. Close ); upland nest discovered at 780 m in dense stand of pines.

Considered sedentary.

Little information available, but thought to feed nearly exclusively on birds (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Recorded prey items include parrots, pigeons and doves, crows, nighthawks, Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), Western Red-legged Thrush (Turdus rubripes) and domestic fowl; these, together with the species’ large feet and long toes, suggest that it specializes on avian prey. Females appear to take larger and more conspicuous prey in or above the canopy, whereas males capture smaller prey in the understorey. Hunting style probably similar to that of A. cooperii; one seen using ‘low dashing flight’ (4 Kirwan, G.M. and Kirkconnell, A. (2002). The avifauna of Pálpite, Ciénaga de Zapata, Cuba, and the importance of the area for globally threatened and endemic birds. El Pitirre. 15(3): 101–109. Close ).

Commonest call a loud “kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek....” similar to that of A. cooperii (5 Reynard, G.B., Short, L.L., Garrido, O.H. and Alayón, G. (1987). Nesting, voice, status and relationships of the endemic Cuban Gundlach’s Hawk (Accipiter gundlachi). Wilson Bull.. 99(1): 73–77. Close , 2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Poorly known, but data accumulating; several nests reported at or around swamp of Ciénaga de Zapata, in W Cuba, including one on 12 Feb 1998 found 15 m up in deciduous tree (6 Rompré, G., Aubry, Y. and Kirkconnell, A. (1999). Notes on some Cuban birds. Cotinga. 11: 31–33. Close ). Nestbuilding reported between Jan and Apr, with young fledged by Jun. Stick nest built 7–20 m up tree, usually close to trunk; nest reused for at least three years, and presumably more. One nest measured 70 × 80 cm across and 50 cm deep (5 Reynard, G.B., Short, L.L., Garrido, O.H. and Alayón, G. (1987). Nesting, voice, status and relationships of the endemic Cuban Gundlach’s Hawk (Accipiter gundlachi). Wilson Bull.. 99(1): 73–77. Close ). Clutch normally 3–4 eggs (once two). No published information on length of incubation and nestling periods.

ENDANGERED. CITES II. Has small range in which very small and extremely fragmented population has, until recently, continued to decline. Since middle of first decade of 21st century, however, numbers appear to have stabilized or trend reversed. Still very rare and local, with five main population centres. Estimated global population 150–200 pairs in 1994; current estimate, according to BirdLife International, c. 400 individuals, equivalent to c. 270 adults. Nominate race in W & C Cuba found in three centres, two of which held only three and 20 pairs, respectively, in 1994; in area of Pálpite (Ciénaga de Zapata), recorded only rarely (4 Kirwan, G.M. and Kirkconnell, A. (2002). The avifauna of Pálpite, Ciénaga de Zapata, Cuba, and the importance of the area for globally threatened and endemic birds. El Pitirre. 15(3): 101–109. Close ). Two main areas for race wileyi in E of island, where bulk of population found; few sightings around Pico Turquino, but one seen on N slopes of Sierra Maestra in early 1999 (7 Rompré, G., Aubry, Y. and Kirkconnell, A. (2000). Recent observations of threatened birds in eastern Cuba. Cotinga. 13: 66. Close ). Formerly occurred throughout Cuba, although never common, even historically. Main causes of decline, and still the greatest threats, are habitat loss and disturbance from logging and agricultural expansion, and persecution by humans because it preys on poultry; fuel shortage in Cuba has led to ever more woodland being cut. Records exist of young being taken for captivity, or for international trade in raptors. Occurs in Sierra Maestra and Sierra del Cristal National Parks. In recent years, good progress has been made in environmental education, but the need remains for public-awareness campaigns to draw attention to the dire situation in which this raptor now finds itself and to discourage people from persecuting it; also critical need for more information on general biology.