Field Guide to Birds of North America
Gray Hawk
General
Gray Hawk: Small tropical hawk with uniformly pale gray upperparts and fine white barring on underparts. Tail is thickly banded black and white. Sexes similar. Juvenile is boldly marked with thick brown blotches on white body.
Range and Habitat
Gray Hawk: Enters the United States in southeastern Arizona where it is restricted to tall cottonwood forests along a few streams.
Listen to Call
Voice Text
"kah-lee-oh"
Interesting Facts
- Like many birds of prey living in deciduous woods, Gray Hawks often line their nests with fresh leafy branches.
- A group of hawks has many collective nouns, including a "boil", "knot", "spiraling", "stream", and "tower" of hawks.
Author
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Family
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Species
Asturina nitida
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Length14 - 18
Inches
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Wingspan35
Inches
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Gray Hawk
Gray Hawk: Small tropical hawk with uniformly pale gray upperparts and fine white barring on underparts. Cere is yellow. Tail is thickly banded black and white. Wing tips are rounded. Legs and feet are yellow. Bouyant, graceful flap-and-glide flight, soars on thermals often but not to great heights.
● Song: "kah-lee-oh"
● Foraging & Feeding: Gray Hawk: Mostly perches then captures lizards with fast, incredibly agile flights. Also eats small birds and rodents. Prey is captured on the ground or snagged from branches.
● Breeding & nesting: Gray Hawk: Accompanied by loud calling, a pair builds a stick nest high in tall trees. Lays 2 to 3 white to blue eggs with brown markings. Incubated by female for 32 days. Young fledge in 42 days.
● Similar species: Gray Hawk: Male light morph Hook-billed Kite has much larger bill. Juvenile resembles juvenile Broad-winged Hawk but has much bolder face pattern and longer tail.
Flight Pattern
Rapid shallow wingbeats and incredibly agile maneuvering in forests.
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BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
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Population
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MigrationNonmigratory
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Weight18 - 19
Ounces
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