Bicolored Hawk

Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Accipiter bicolor
  • Spanish Name: Azor bicolor
  • Family: Accipitridae
  • Known Nicknames: Bicolored Sparrowhawk
  • Average Length: 30–45 cm / 12–18 in
  • Average Weight: 200–300 g / 7–10.6 oz
  • Wingspan: 60–80 cm / 24–31 in
  • Key Feature: Distinctive two-toned plumage with dark grey upperparts and pale rufous or white underparts
  • Primary Diet: Carnivore
  • Range: Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina
  • Habitat: Tropical and subtropical lowland forests, forest edges, and wooded savannas
  • Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
  • Nesting/Breeding: Tree nest built of sticks
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Decreasing

The Bicolored Hawk (*Accipiter bicolor*) is a striking neotropical raptor renowned for its dramatic plumage variation, which belies its name. True to its title, this medium-sized accipiter exhibits a sharp contrast between its dark, slate-gray upperparts and a pale, finely barred underbelly, though some individuals in the Amazon basin are entirely dark morphs. Its most distinctive feature is the bold, white-tipped tail feathers and a piercing yellow eye that gives it an intense, focused gaze. A master of dense forest canopies from Mexico to Argentina, it combines the classic accipiter traits—short, rounded wings for agile maneuverability and a long tail for steering—with a specialized diet of birds, small mammals, and even large insects, making it a versatile and stealthy predator of the tropical treetops.

Fun Facts

Despite its name, the Bicolored Hawk is actually quite variable in plumage, with some individuals in South America sporting a striking dark morph that is nearly black with a white throat, making them look like tiny, fierce shadows. They are known for a peculiar hunting strategy called "still-hunting," where they will perch motionless for extended periods, often on a low branch, before launching a blistering, short-distance ambush. One quirky behavior is their tendency to "anting"—rubbing ants or other insects through their feathers, likely to use the formic acid as a natural insecticide or to soothe molting skin. Their legs are unusually thick and muscular for a hawk their size, an adaptation for grappling with large insects and small reptiles, which they often dispatch with a quick bite to the head rather than relying solely on talons.

Habitats & Distribution

The Bicolored Hawk inhabits a variety of forested environments, primarily within tropical and subtropical lowland and montane forests. It is also found in forest edges, secondary growth, and semi-open areas with tall trees, often near rivers or clearings. This species ranges from southern Mexico through Central America, and across much of South America east of the Andes, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Its distribution is discontinuous, with isolated populations in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil and the eastern slopes of the Andes.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The Bicolored Hawk is generally solitary outside of the breeding season, with pairs forming a strong, often monogamous bond for the duration of nesting. Courtship involves aerial displays where the male performs steep dives and climbs near the female, sometimes passing food to her mid-flight. The pair builds a stick nest high in a forest tree, which they may reuse and enlarge over successive years. The female typically lays 2 to 4 eggs, and she alone incubates them while the male provides all the food. After hatching, the male continues provisioning, but the female remains at the nest to brood and feed the chicks. A unique strategy is the extended post-fledgling care period; the young remain dependent on the parents for several months, learning to hunt by following and begging from adults, which increases their survival rate in the dense canopy.

Diet

The Bicolored Hawk is an agile, opportunistic predator whose diet consists primarily of medium-sized birds, which it captures in swift, surprise ambushes through dense forest understory. It also regularly hunts small mammals like bats, rodents, and squirrels, as well as lizards and large insects, adapting its prey selection based on local availability. A particularly interesting fact is that these hawks often hunt in pairs, with one bird flushing prey from cover while the other strikes, a cooperative behavior uncommon among most Accipiter species. Additionally, they have been observed raiding bird nests for eggs and chicks, and in some regions, they show a specialized preference for doves and pigeons, which they pursue with remarkable speed and precision through tangled vegetation.

Colors

The Bicolored Hawk has a slate-gray head, back, and upper wings contrasting with a white to pale buff chest and belly, often with fine dark barring on the flanks and thighs. Its tail is black with two or three white bands, and the cere and legs are yellow. Juveniles are brown above and heavily streaked below, providing camouflage in dappled forest light.