Tiny Hawk - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

There are two subspecies of Tiny Hawk, separated by the northern Andes. The two differ most significantly in relative tail length; differences in size and color are small, and can be hard to distinguish.

  • A. s. superciliosus is found east of the Andes in South America. Slightly the larger of the two subspecies, it is paler and has diffuse, grayish barring on the underparts.
  • A. s. fontanieri is found from Nicaragua down to western Ecuador. It is somewhat smaller and darker than the nominate A. s. superciliosus, with a shorter tail and sharper, blacker barring below.

The Tiny Hawk and its sister species, the upland-dwelling Semi-collared Hawk ("A." collaris), form a superspecies.

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