Leucopternis albicollis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The white hawk (Pseudastur albicollis) is a bird of prey breeding in the tropical New World of the family Accipitridae. Though it is commonly placed in the subfamily Buteoninae, the validity of this group is doubtful and currently under review.
The adult white hawk ranges from 46–56 cm (18–22 in) long with very broad wings and has a white head, body and underwings. The upper wings are black, and the very short tail is black with a broad white band. The bill is black and the legs are yellow.
The sexes are similar, but females are larger and heavier—840 g (1.85 lb) compared to the male's 650 g (1.43 lb). Immature birds have extensive black spotting on the upperparts and dark-streaked whitish underparts. The call of the white hawk is a plaintive kerwee.
There are four subspecies: Pseudastur albicollis ghiesbreghti – Southern Mexico to Nicaragua Entirely white, except for black markings on the outer primaries, and a black sub-terminal tail bar. The eyes are yellow. Pseudastur albicollis costaricensis – Honduras to Panama and Colombia.
Similar to ghiesbreghti but with more distinct black markings on the wings and tail. The eyes are brown. Pseudastur albicollis... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo de Guyane | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Zoológico do CIGS | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Zoológico Thomas Belt | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 4 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Zoo Criadero Tarqui | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Hawk sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 107 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 141st most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July, October and December–May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Hawk in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in June, August–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 37
Of the 37 parks where we can rate White Hawk sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 30%), Darién National Park (Panama, about 20%) and Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the White Hawk that you can see in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Roadside Hawk (about 20%), Gray-lined Hawk (about 10%) and Black Hawk-Eagle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (107 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
