Sharp-shinned Hawk
A migratory raptor of Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean
Sharp-shinned Hawk
(Accipiter striatus)
Gavilán estriado, Gavilán pajarero, Gavilán de Sierra, Falcón de Sierra, Camaleón, Gavilán pechirufo.
Identification: Small with short, rounded wings, long and square-tipped tail. Adults have dark blue-grey heads and upperparts and are white with rufous barring underneath. Juveniles are brown above and white below with brown streaked chest.
Migratory behavior: Strong and direct flight with quick flaps alternating with short glides. Solitary flyer, but occasionally soars with other raptors using thermals.
Remarks: Four subspecies are residents of the mountain forest of Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia, and three are endemic Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico). The migratory subspecies, the Northern Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus velox), migrates into the region, but is rare in the Caribbean and uncommon south of Guatemala.