Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Also known as: Little Black Hawk

40 cm (16") Rare. Florida.

Two color phases. Head and back is always dark. Body and underwings are either all white or all dark. Short barred tail.

Images

Dark morph seen in West Miramar wetlands.

Credit: Kenneth Cole Schneider

A short-tailed hawk at the Avian Reconditioning Center for Birds of Prey; she's permanently injured and nonreleasable due to a gunshot wound

Credit: Lauren Anderson

© 2025 Larry Bond and Kevin Bond