Common Black Hawk vs Great Black Hawk

Buteogallus anthracinus compared with Buteogallus urubitinga

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Black Hawk	Great Black Hawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Aves (นก)	Aves (นก)
Order same	Accipitriformes (อันดับเหยี่ยว)	Accipitriformes (อันดับเหยี่ยว)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus same	Buteogallus	Buteogallus
Species	Buteogallus anthracinus	Buteogallus urubitinga

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Black Hawk and Great Black Hawk share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Buteogallus.

Conservation Status

Common Black Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Great Black Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Black Hawk	Great Black Hawk
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Black Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Great Black Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common Black Hawk

The common black hawk (<em>Buteogallus anthracinus</em>) is a medium-sized raptor of the family Accipitridae, classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments across its range, which includes Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and, notably, Norway, suggesting occasional vagrant or introduced occurrences outside its core Neotropical distribution. <em>Buteogallus anthracinus</em> is typically associated with riparian forests, mangroves, and wetland edges, where it hunts crabs, fish, frogs, and other aquatic prey along stream banks and shorelines. The bird is predominantly black with a broad white tail band, making it distinctive in the field. It often perches conspicuously on exposed branches near water, scanning for prey below. The species typically nests in tall trees near water, constructing large stick nests used across multiple breeding seasons. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela