The semiplumbeous hawk 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 forests.
Region
Central America to northwestern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Honduras through Nicaragua (local), Costa Rica and Panama into western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. It favors mature subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests, especially tall evergreen rainforest with a closed canopy. Often found along forest edges, riparian corridors, and in tall secondary growth adjacent to primary forest. Typically keeps to interior and subcanopy strata, perching quietly and moving in short sallies.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy forest hawk that hunts by sitting quietly inside the subcanopy and making short, rapid dashes at prey. It is often overlooked despite being vocal, with thin whistled calls most noticeable at dawn. The species depends on intact lowland rainforest and is sensitive to deforestation and fragmentation.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides through the subcanopy
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, maintaining territories within extensive forest. Nests high in tall trees; clutch size is small and both adults attend the nest. Courtship involves calling and short display flights within the canopy.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives thin, high-pitched whistles and squeals, often a descending or repeated ‘wee-ee’ note. Vocal activity peaks at dawn and in overcast conditions within the forest.
Plumage
Compact hawk with lead-gray head, mantle, and breast contrasting with paler gray to whitish lower underparts. Tail dark with bold pale banding, and wings show darker flight feathers versus grayer coverts. Throat usually paler, creating a subtle contrast with the darker face and upper breast.
Diet
Feeds on small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, small birds, and rodents, as well as large insects. Uses a sit-and-wait strategy from shaded perches, then launches swift, direct strikes. Will occasionally snatch prey from foliage or the ground and may glean insects from trunks and branches.
Preferred Environment
Hunts within the interior and edges of humid lowland forest, especially along streams and clearings where prey is concentrated. Most foraging occurs in the subcanopy and midstory, using concealed perches with good sightlines.
