Mantled Hawk

The mantled hawk (Pseudastur polionotus) is a South American species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. == Taxonomy and evolution == This hawk was formerly placed in the genus Leucopternis and was known as Leucopternis polionota or polionotus but is now classified as Pseudastur polionotus. == Description == The adult of this medium-sized hawk has a bulky appearance with broad "shoulders" relative to total length. The body length measures 470-510mm, with females being slightly larger than males. The head, neck, upper back and entire undersurface except for the black wing tips and basal half of the tail are white. The white round head appears disproportionately large relative to the rest of the body and sometimes projects further than the tail. There are also markings around eyes, giving a masked appearance. The ceres and lores are grey or dull yellow. The bill is pale grey, gradually turning black at the tip. The iris is brown but often appears black in the field. The toes and tarsi are orange-yellow. The wings, lower back and rump are black or dark bluish grey, with the dark primaries, secondaries, tertials and upper tail coverts having greyish bases with thin white square tips. They…