Birdsong field guide
Bicolored Hawk
Astur bicolor
A medium-sized Neotropical forest raptor characterized by its slate-gray plumage and distinctive rufous 'trousers.' It is a stealthy, agile hunter that specializes in ambushing other birds within dense canopy environments.
What it sounds like
A series of rapid, nasal barking notes, often transcribed as 'wak-wak-wak' or 'keh-keh-keh'.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto
Field notes
- Adults display a striking contrast between their dark gray upperparts and rufous tibial feathers, though some subspecies show more varied underpart coloration.
- Juveniles are highly polymorphic, appearing in white-breasted or buff-breasted forms that look significantly different from the slate-gray adults.
- Recent molecular phylogenetic evidence led to its reclassification from the genus Accipiter to the resurrected genus Astur.
- It is primarily an ornithophagous specialist, frequently preying on large birds such as pigeons, anis, and even small parrots.
- Nesting occurs high in the forest canopy in stick platforms, where the female performs the majority of the incubation while the male provides food.
Habitat
Primary and secondary lowland evergreen forests, montane forests, and occasionally deciduous woodlands or gallery forests.
Range
Neotropical distribution ranging from southern Mexico through Central America to northern Argentina and Uruguay.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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