| Description | small to medium sized hawk with short rounded wings and moderate length tail; four subspecies known; in a. albicollis the wing quills are mostly black with white markings; black tail band extends to base of tail, leaving a broad, white tip; eyes are brown; underparts are almost totally white when viewed from below, with the exception of the black wing-tips and a black tail band visible in flight; legs are yellow; bill is black |
| Sex | similar markings, but females are larger and heavier than the males |
| Age | |
| Length | 17-22" |
| Wingspan | very broad short wings |
| Weight | 1.43-1.85 lbs. |
| Habitat | lowland forest and other woodlands; prefers well watered tropical regions where the dry season is not too long; avoids deep, unbroken rain forest, except around swampy areas where forest is more thinned out |
| Status | fairly common in itâ??s range; listed as Least Concern |
| Range | from central Venezuela, Guyana and Trinidad, south to southern Amazonia and Mato Grosso |
| Behavior | usually seen perching at the edge of the forest, usually near a stream bed, watching the ground for reptiles; pounces on prey from the perch; has a spectacular aerial courtship display; usually lays one dark-splotched blue-white egg; eggs are laid in a twig nest high in a tree at the edge of the forest in early March; nest is lined with dead and green leaves; |
| Diet | feeds mostly on tree snakes and lizards up to approximately 15 inches long; occasionally may catch a young or weak bird, as well as large insects |
| Vocalization | harsh buteo-like scream; a plaintive kerwee |
| Other Information |