Great Black-Hawk

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Great Black-Hawk in Ostional Wildlife Refuge?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Black-Hawk sighting in Ostional Wildlife Refuge, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

Q: When is the best time to see Great Black-Hawk in Ostional Wildlife Refuge?

October has the highest sighting rate for Great Black-Hawk in Ostional Wildlife Refuge in our monthly data.

Buteogallus urubitinga

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
GenusButeogallus (Black Hawks and Allies)
SpeciesButeogallus urubitinga (Great Black-Hawk)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Ostional Wildlife Refuge

9 Verified sightings at Ostional Wildlife Refuge From 2019 to 2026

5,637 Verified sightings across all 66 parks From 2019 to 2026

October 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 Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Buteogallus anthracinus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Rupornis magnirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Geranospiza caerulescens

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Harpagus bidentatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteo brachyurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteo nitidus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Ictinia plumbea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Buteo albonotatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Leptodon cayanensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Buteo albicaudatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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 Ostional Wildlife Refuge?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Black-Hawk sighting in Ostional Wildlife Refuge, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Great Black-Hawk in Ostional Wildlife Refuge?

October has the highest sighting rate for Great Black-Hawk in Ostional Wildlife Refuge in our monthly data.

← Back to Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Great Black-Hawk

About the Great Black-Hawk

Recent sightings of Great Black-Hawk in Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Closest Relatives at Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Common Black-Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Crane Hawk

Double-toothed Kite

Short-tailed Hawk

Gray-lined Hawk

Plumbeous Kite

Zone-tailed Hawk

Gray-headed Kite

White-tailed Hawk

Hook-billed Kite

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Quick answers