Great Black-Hawk
Great Black-HawkGreat Black-HawkGreat Black-HawkGreat Black-Hawk

Great Black-Hawk

Buteogallus urubitinga

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
286 Verified sightings at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve From 2019 to 2026
5,637 Verified sightings across all 66 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Great Black-Hawk

The great black hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. The great black 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 urubitinga. Gmelin's description was ultimately based on the "urubitinga" that had been described in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. The great black hawk is now one of nine species placed in the genus Buteogallus was introduced in 1830 by the French naturalist René Lesson. The name genus is a portmanteau of Buteo, a genus introduced in 1779 by Bernard Germain de Lacépède for the buzzards and the genus Gallus introduced in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson for the junglefowl. The specific epithet urubitinga is from Tupi Urubú tinga meaning "big black bird" for such a raptor.

Two subspecies are recognised: B. u. ridgwayi (Gurney, JH Sr, 1884) – Mexico to west Panama B. u. urubitinga (Gmelin, JF... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Common Black-Hawk
LC

Common Black-Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteogallus anthracinus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
American Swallow-tailed Kite
LC

American Swallow-tailed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanoides forficatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
NT

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizaetus ornatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Gray-lined Hawk
LC

Gray-lined Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo nitidus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Short-tailed Hawk
LC

Short-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo brachyurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White Hawk
LC

White Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucopternis albicollis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Red-tailed Hawk
LC

Red-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Barred Hawk
LC

Barred Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucopternis princeps

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Sharp-shinned Hawk
LC

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Hawk-Eagle
LC

Black Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizaetus tyrannus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hook-billed Kite
LC

Hook-billed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
2 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~50%
3 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
4 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~20%
5 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
6 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
7 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
9 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
10 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
12 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
13 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
14 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
15 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
16 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
17 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
18 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
19 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
20 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
22 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
27 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
28 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
29 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
31 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
34 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
35 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
36 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
37 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
38 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
39 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
41 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
44 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
45 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
46 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
47 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
49 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
50 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
51 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
52 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
53 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
Insufficient data
54 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
55 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
56 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
57 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
58 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
59 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
60 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
61 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
62 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
63 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
64 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
65 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
66 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Great Black-Hawk in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Black-Hawk sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, based on 286 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Great Black-Hawk in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

March has the highest sighting rate for Great Black-Hawk in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

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