Bicolored Hawk

Accipiter bicolor

eBird describes the Bicolored Hawk this way:  Widespread but uncommon forest hawk of tropical America. Adults are mostly gray, darker on crown and upperparts, with two pale tail bands and rufous thighs that are often hidden from view. Belly is tinged rufous and faintly barred in the southern part of its range. Immature looks remarkably like a forest-falcon, but note its yellow eye and lack of dark crescent on face. Overlaps with the similar Rufous-thighed Kite in parts of South America. Bicolored Hawk is larger, lacks a vertical stripe on the throat, usually stays inside forest, and almost never soars. Feeds mainly on birds and is generally quiet and elusive. Birds from central and southern Chile as well as adjacent parts of Argentina are now considered a separate species, Chilean Hawk.

The Birds of the World site gives this introductory information for the Bicolored Hawk:  The Bicolored Hawk is a medium-sized Accipiter of lowland forests. Most plumages are largely gray, with a dark gray cap, banded tail, and rufous thighs. There is considerable variation, both due to polymorphism and geographic variation, largely consisting of differences in underparts coloration. All populations are generally readily distinguished from other Accipiter species using a combination of plumage details, size, and shape. Some populations have similar coloration to the Rufous-thighed Kite (Harpagus diodon), but have a lankier, smaller-headed structure, broader tail, longer secondaries, the white vent does not show on the sides, and lack the double-notched bill of that species. The Bicolored Hawk feeds on birds captured in active aerial pursuit after either sitting-and-waiting on a favored perch or ambushing unsuspecting prey. It builds a stick nest in a tall tree, often near a clearing. It is resident from Mexico south to Ecuador and east of the Andes south to northern Argentina. During the austral winter, some overlap with the southern Chilean Hawk (Accipiter chilensis) may occur in western and northwestern Argentina.

I saw my first Bicolored Hawk on the morning of Sunday, February 5, 2023, deep in some woods near Donde Copé.  Copé was guiding us through the dense tropical rainforest jungle, and I believe he is the one that first spotted this regal bird.  To see my blog post that includes meeting this bird, look here.  Here is my one and only picture of this bird.