Bicoloured Hawk - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

The Bicoloured Hawk is a species in the genus Accipiter and is included in the family Accipitridae. Three subspecies are currently recognized. The Bicoloured Hawk is also closely related to the Cooper’s Hawk (A. cooperii) and the Gundlach's Hawk (A. gundlachi); these three form a superspecies. Until recently, the Chilean Hawk (A. chilensis) from the colder, southernmost South America was treated as a race of A. bicolor but due to its differences in habitat preferences and plumages from the Bicoloured Hawk, A. chilensis is now considered a full species.

Four subspecies of A. bicolor are acknowledged. These are:

• A. b. bicolor, which is found in Southeastern Mexico and south through northern South America. Adults have a black crown, slate upper parts and a blackish tail that displays two or three pale bars. The primaries are obscurely barred.
• A. b. fidens, which occurs in Eastern and Southern Mexico. It is morphologically similar to A. b. bicolor, but is larger in size and darker in color.
• A. b. pileatus, living in Brazil. Adults are similar to A. b. bicolor, but are much paler and have a pearl-grey collar. Under-wing coverts and thighs are rufous.
• A. b. guttifer; located in South Bolivia and northern Argentina. The underparts of the adult are grey or extensively salmon rufous with large white spots and bars.