Common Black Hawk

The Common Black Hawk is a stocky, broad-winged raptor cloaked almost entirely in sooty black plumage, with long yellow legs and a yellow cere that stand out against the dark body. In flight, a single broad white band crosses the black tail, along with a narrow white tip, and the wings appear notably broad and rounded for a buteo-like hawk.

This species is unusually tied to water among North American raptors, rarely found far from the rivers and streams that supply its preferred prey of crabs, fish, and amphibians.

Key Field Marks

• Entirely sooty-black body, head, and underwing coverts
• Single broad white band across an otherwise black tail, plus a thin white tip
• Long yellow legs and yellow cere
• Broad, rounded wings, often soaring low over riparian corridors

Similar Species

• Zone-tailed Hawk: also blackish but shows multiple narrow tail bands and mimics vulture flight with a shallow V soaring posture; not tied as closely to water.
• Harris's Hawk: shows chestnut shoulder and leg patches, distinguishing it from the uniformly black Common Black Hawk.

Range

In the United States, Common Black Hawks breed locally in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with the range extending south through Mexico, Central America, and into northern South America.

Habitat

They are strongly associated with wooded rivers and streams, especially those lined with cottonwood and sycamore, and are rarely encountered away from permanent water.

Foraging

Common Black Hawks hunt by watching from a low riparian perch and dropping down to catch crabs, fish, frogs, and other aquatic or semi-aquatic prey, sometimes wading in shallow water to forage.

Voice

The call is a series of loud, high-pitched whistled notes, often described as a piercing scream, given in territorial defense or alarm.

Nesting

Nests are large stick platforms built in tall trees directly along the riverbank, frequently reused across years. Pairs are highly territorial along their stretch of river.