The Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is a hawk found from S Canada to N Mexico. It resembles in plumage to the Sharp-shinned hawk, but it’s larger, shorter wings, larger head and rounded tail. Dwells in high elevations and feeds on birds and mammals. Migrates singly, in direct flight (opposite to the migration of the Buteo).

♂: 41cm (16”), 350g. ♀: 46cm, 530g. Adults have a crown darker than back and underparts more finely barred than Sharp-sinned hawk. Iris red, bill black with gray base; cere and legs yellow. Young: Yellow iris, below more finely streaked than young Sharp-sinned.

The Bicolored Hawk (Accipiter bicolor) Wings rather short, rounded; tail fairly long and rounded at tips; iris orange; cere and legs yellow. SE Mexico to N Chile and N Argentina. Uncommon to rare resident in humid forestd areasfrom sea level to 1800 m (5900ft) on both slopes; absent from dry forested Pacific NW.

♂ 36 cm (14”) 260g; ♀ 46 cm ( 18”) 400g. Adults: above dark gray, below pale gray;thighs rufous; tail blackish, broadly banded with pale gray . Immatures: above blakish brown with some buffy endings; below white to rich buff; thighs sometime rufous; sides of head streaked with black; sometimes a vertical bar on auricularsand/or buffy nuchal collar; iris yellow. Immatures often resemble Collared or immature Barred forest-falcons in pattern, differ in soft-part colors, shorter legs, less graduated tail.

The Mississipi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) breeds in SE USA; winters in South America. In spring and fall, it migrates through Costa Rica in small to large flocks.

36cm (14”), 280g. Long, pointed wings; long, black, slightly notched tail. Head and underparts light gray; mantle dark gray; flight feathers black except upper surface of secondaries which is white.  Iris red; bill and cere black; feet yellowish. Young: Similar to young Plumbeous Kite but the streaking below is brown, not slaty.

The Plumbeous Kite (Ictinia plumbea) breeds in southeast USA, and in winters lives in South America. It is found in above canopy and along edges of broken forests, in savanna groves and mangroves. It is 36 cm (14 inches) in height and 180 g in weight.

Above it is blackish, with dark blue-gray head and underparts. Dark wings and black tail. Cere and bill blackish. Feet are bright yellow to orange. Youngers are below white, and streaked with gray to blackish. They feed on snakes, lizards, and insects as bees and termites.

The Black-collared Hawk (Busarellus nigricollis) is a short-tailed hawk with very broad wings that dwells from C Mexico to N Argentina. It feeds of fish. Prefers the vicinities of stagnant bodies of water in forested or open country. It perches overlooking water, and catches its prey immersing rarely more than legs and feet.

51cm (20”), 650g. Iris chestnut; cere blackish; legs dull flesh. Rufous with black strikes on mantle; black crescent on chest, buffy-white head; on the tail, black subterminal band and narrow bands towards base. Young: Very broad dusky-black chest patch; above brown; below pale buff; witish head; head and underparts striked with blackish.

The Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens) is a slender hawk with fluffy plumage that might make it look robust. It lives from NW Mexico to N Argentina. Feeds of frogs, insects, nestling birds and mice from tree holes.

45cm (19”), 350g. Small-headed with very long orange legs. Slate black with two white tail-bands; curved white band across outer primaries. Iris red; cere and bill blackish. Birds in Costa Rica tend to be paler, often showing pale barring on posterior underparts.
Immatures: Slaty-blackish with white forehead, superciliaries and throat. Cheeks streaked with white; chest and sides brownish; belly, thighs and crissum barred with white to pale buff. Band on primaries during flight.

The Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) resides from south Florida and southeast Mexico to Ecuador and north Argentina. This bird lives in freshwater marshes and sloughs. Its size is of 43 cm (17 inches) in height and 375 g in weight.

Males are slate-black with cere and feet red or orange. Females are mostly blackish-brown, with buff face, and underparts broadly streaked with buff. Inmatures are like female but buffy areas more ochraceous or rufous. They eat almost exclusively on large snails.

The Great-Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) dwells from S Mexico to N Argentina. It is short and has broad wings; its tail is short and ample.  Feeds of reptiles, birds, mammals and crabs.

66cm (26”), 1.1kg. Heavy build; long legs; short tail; broad wings. Black, common Black-hawk alike, except for thighs and wing-linings barred with white; upper tail coverts white; tail has a broad white median band, narrower and subtler white basal band. Slaty lores contrast with yellow cere. Young: Similar to immature common Black-Hawk, except that the lores are dark and the tail is more finely barred.