Semiplumbeous Hawk

How to find it

Start in the Caribbean lowlands and keep to forest below about 500 meters. Scan the middle levels of mature forest and older second growth for a still gray and white hawk. In Braulio Carrillo National Park the hawk was not regular on the higher Las Palmas trail, while lower, more lowland-leaning trails such as Ceiba gave better chances. Learn the rising whistles, since birders have found one by call. At Tirimbina one sat on a branch about 3 m above the ground, so close views are sometimes possible.

How to recognise it

This is a two-toned hawk, small, about 30 to 33 cm long, roughly the size of a kestrel or merlin.

Look for these marks:

- dark gray upperparts

- a white throat and white underparts

- bright yellow eyes

- a black face mask

- a striking orange cere and orange legs

- short, broad wings, which help it steer between trees and branches inside the forest

- a short tail with two white bands across an otherwise dark background

The scientific name fits the look: Leucopternis means white hawk, and semiplumbeus means half-leaden.

What it sounds like

Recording: Niels Krabbe, CC BY-SA 4.0, source, read 5 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This is a sit-and-wait hunter. It watches from a perch and surprises small mammals, reptiles and birds from a low perch. Recorded prey across its range includes lizards, snakes, amphibians, mammals, birds and arthropods.

It often follows army ant swarms to catch antbirds and other small songbirds, which make up a large part of its diet.

In Costa Rica it nests and breeds, building a stick platform very high in the forest canopy.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica this is a Caribbean slope bird of the lowlands and foothills, rarely found above 500 meters. It usually sits at middle levels of mature wet forest and older second growth, and only occasionally comes out into open areas.

Across its whole range it is limited to humid forest in the tropical and subtropical lowlands and foothills, from Costa Rica south to the Choco region of northwestern South America. It can tolerate tall second growth and is locally common in some primary forest.

Similar birds

The short tail helps separate it from forest-falcons of similar size. The two white bands across an otherwise dark tail are another useful mark, along with the white underparts.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The AOCR name used in Costa Rica is Gavilán Dorsiplomizo. Elsewhere it is also called gavilán pecho blanco, gavilán gris and gavilán dorsigris.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list treats it as a resident (R) in Costa Rica, and it is rated Least Concern globally.

Photography tips

Look for it perched low near forest trails or openings in mature forest. At Tirimbina one sat about 3 m above the ground, which suggests it will sometimes sit low enough for close views. Lower, lowland trails give the better chances.