The white-browed hawk (''Leucopternis kuhli'') is a species of bird of prey in

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022 It is found

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Brazil, and Peru.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022

Taxonomy and systematics

The white-browed hawk and the

black-faced hawk The black-faced hawk (''Leucopternis melanops'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This low-density species has traditionally been believed to be restricted to Amazon Basin north of the Amazon River, but there are several ...

(''L. melanops'') are sister species and have sometimes been considered conspecific. They share genus ''Leucopternis'' with the

semiplumbeous hawk The semiplumbeous hawk (''Leucopternis semiplumbeus'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland for ...

(''L. semiplumbeus''). The white-browed hawk is monotypic. LeucopternisSuperciliarisSmit

Description

The white-browed hawk is long with a wingspan. Females are larger than males and both sexes have the same plumage. They have a dark head with a narrow white stripe above the eye. Their upperparts are black with white streaks on their nape and mantle. Their tail is black with a wide white band at the midpoint. Their underparts are white. Their eye is brown or reddish brown and their cere, legs, and feet are orange.Bierregaard, R. O., G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). White-browed Hawk (''Leucopternis kuhli''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whbhaw2.01 retrieved December 10, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The white-browed hawk is found south of the Amazon River. It occurs in eastern Peru between the departments of Loreto and Madre de Dios, in northern and northeastern Bolivia, and in Brazil to the Atlantic coast in Pará state. It inhabits tropical rainforest between sea level and of elevation.

Behavior

Movement

The white-browed hawk appears to be sedentary.

Feeding

The white-browed hawk hunts near the forest floor. Its diet has not been studied but it has been observed taking a snake and a lizard and is thought to also feed on frogs and large insects.

Breeding

The white-browed hawk's breeding biology is almost unknown. The one described nest was in western Brazil in December and was thought to hold eggs. It was a small platform of sticks, twigs, and leaves placed in the subcanopy about above the ground.

Vocalization

The white-browed hawk's call is "a high-pitched rather thin downslurred whistle 'keeeeuw' given at intervals."

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the white-browed hawk as being of least concern. It has a large range but its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. The species is poorly known, "but so much forest in its extensive range remains intact that hespecies can not be considered of immediate concern."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1585484 white-browed hawk Birds of the Amazon Basin Birds of the Peruvian Amazon Birds of the Bolivian Amazon white-browed hawk white-browed hawk Taxonomy articles created by Polbot