Great Black HawkButeogallus urubitingaWhere and when to see them

Great Black Hawk is a tropical American raptor registered here on the Peruvian Amazon cruise route around Iquitos, Nauta and the Ucayali. BirdLife describes it as non-migratory and globally Least Concern. Neither classification guarantees an encounter beside a passing vessel. Source: https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/great-black-hawk-buteogallus-urubitinga

Size

Species-specific body-length measurement not verified.

Weight

Species-specific weight not verified.

Lifespan

Species-specific lifespan not verified.

Status

Least Concern globally; BirdLife assessment 2020 reports a decreasing trend.

The most useful search is a slow scan of river-edge trees from a guided skiff. Behavioural details specific to this Peruvian reach were not verified. A perched raptor should be approached without repeatedly driving it between trees.

• Its scientific name is Buteogallus urubitinga.
• It belongs to Accipitridae.
• BirdLife lists it as Least Concern.
• The reported global trend is decreasing.
• BirdLife describes it as non-migratory.
• A dedicated scientific diet review was published in 2021.

BirdLife’s non-migrant classification is not evidence of equal detectability throughout the year. The registry documents a cruise occurrence rather than a recurring monthly pattern. No qualifying local seasonal series was verified; months remain empty.

The registry restricts this association to Iquitos/Nauta, the Ucayali and connected tributaries documented during a 2017 cruise. Side channels offer viewing opportunities that cannot automatically be reproduced from the main ship. Presence elsewhere in Amazonia does not broaden this local record.

A published review specifically addresses the diet of this species, including newly recorded prey. The retrieved bibliographic material was insufficient to reconstruct a complete food list or local proportions: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-021-00046-1. A detailed Peruvian river-reach diet is not verified.

Common name

Great Black Hawk

Scientific name

Buteogallus urubitinga

Animal group

Birds

Size

Species-specific body-length measurement not verified.

Weight

Species-specific weight not verified.

Lifespan

Species-specific lifespan not verified.

Status

Least Concern globally; BirdLife assessment 2020 reports a decreasing trend.

Identification

A detailed diagnostic description distinguishing Great Black Hawk from other dark tropical raptors was not verified in the retrieved authoritative material. Retain uncertain observations as unidentified raptors rather than inferring the species from habitat or colour alone.