Tiny Hawk
Accipiter superciliosus
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
- FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
- GenusAccipiter (True Accipiters)
- SpeciesAccipiter superciliosus (Tiny Hawk)
About the Tiny Hawk
The tiny hawk (Microspizias superciliosus) is a small diurnal bird of prey found primarily around humid forests of the Neotropics. It is primarily a bird-eater, and is known to prey on hummingbirds. The tiny hawk was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Falco superciliosus. Linnaeus specified the locality as Suriname. The specific epithet superciliosus is Latin meaning "eye-browed".
There are two subspecies separated by the northern Andes. The two differ most significantly in relative tail length; differences in size and color are small, and can be hard to distinguish. Microspizias superciliosus fontanieri (Bonaparte, 1853) – is found from Nicaragua south to western Ecuador. It is somewhat smaller and darker than the nominate M. s. superciliosus, with a shorter tail and sharper, blacker barring below.
Microspizias superciliosus superciliosus (Linnaeus, 1766) – is found east of the Andes in South America. Slightly larger than fontanieri, it is paler and has diffuse, grayish barring on the underparts. The tiny hawk and its sister species, the upland-dwelling semicollared... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Chagres National Park
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Black Hawk-Eagle
Spizaetus tyrannus
Double-toothed Kite
Harpagus bidentatus
White Hawk
Leucopternis albicollis
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
Solitary Eagle
Harpyhaliaetus solitarius
Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
Plumbeous Kite
Ictinia plumbea
Zone-tailed Hawk
Buteo albonotatus
Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.