Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
- FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
- GenusRupornis
- SpeciesRupornis magnirostris (Roadside Hawk)
About the Roadside Hawk
The roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) is a relatively small bird of prey found in the Americas. This vocal species is often the most common raptor in its range. It has many subspecies and is now usually placed in the monotypic genus Rupornis instead of Buteo.
The roadside hawk was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the eagles, hawks and relatives in the genus Falco and coined the binomial name Falco magnirostris. Gmelin based his description on the "Épervier à gros bec de Cayenne" that had been described and illustrated in 1770 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon in his multi-volume Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The roadside hawk is now the only species placed in the genus Rupornis that was introduced in 1844 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek rhupos meaning "dirt" or "filth" with ornis meaning "bird". The specific epithet magnirostris combines the Latin magnus meaning "great" with -rostris meaning "billed".
Twelve subspecies are recognised. Their distributions are... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Roadside Hawk in Manuel Antonio National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Manuel Antonio National Park
Common Black-Hawk
Buteogallus anthracinus
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Double-toothed Kite
Harpagus bidentatus
White-tailed Kite
Elanus leucurus
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
Gray-lined Hawk
Buteo nitidus
Zone-tailed Hawk
Buteo albonotatus
Crane Hawk
Geranospiza caerulescens
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Great Black-Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneus
White Hawk
Leucopternis albicollis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Roadside Hawk in Manuel Antonio National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Roadside Hawk sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 491 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Roadside Hawk in Manuel Antonio National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Roadside Hawk in Manuel Antonio National Park in our monthly data.