page_title: List of birds of Costa Rica
section_title: Hawks, eagles, and kites
hierarchical_section_title: List of birds of Costa Rica / Hawks, eagles, and kites
context_page_description: Although Costa Rica is a small country, it is in the bird-rich neotropical region and has a huge number of species for its area. The official bird list published by the Costa Rican Rare Birds and Records Committee of the Asociación Ornitológica de Costa Rica contained 922 species as of August 2019. This number is more than have been recorded in all of the 49 mainland United States and Canada combined. Of those species, seven are endemic, 69 are rare or accidental, and four have been introduced by humans. Another 73 are near-endemic with ranges that include only Costa Rica and Panama. Twenty-seven species, including five of the seven endemics, are globally vulnerable or endangered. Over an area of 51,100 km², an area smaller than West Virginia, this is the greatest density of bird species of any continental American country. About 600 species are resident, with most of the other regular visitors being winter migrants from North America.
  Costa Rica's geological formation played a large role in the diversification of avian species.
context_section_description: Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae
  Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight.
  Pearl kite, Gampsonyx swainsonii
  White-tailed kite, Elanus leucurus
  Hook-billed kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus
  Gray-headed kite, Leptodon cayanensis
  Swallow-tailed kite, Elanoides forficatus
  Crested eagle, Morphnus guianensis
  Harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja
  Black hawk-eagle, Spizaetus tyrannus
  Black-and-white hawk-eagle, Spizaetus melanoleucus
  Ornate hawk-eagle, Spizaetus ornatus
  Double-toothed kite, Harpagus bidentatus
  Northern harrier, Circus hudsonius
  Gray-bellied hawk, Accipiter poliogaster (R?)
  Tiny hawk, Accipiter superciliosus
  Sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus
  Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii
  Bicolored hawk, Accipiter bicolor
  Mississippi kite, Ictinia mississippiensis
  Black-collared hawk, Busarellus nigricollis
  Crane hawk, Geranospiza caerulescens
  Snail kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis
  Plumbeous hawk, Cryptoleucopteryx plumbea
  Common black hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus
  Savanna hawk, Buteogallus meridionalis
  Great black hawk, Buteogallus urubitinga
  Solitary eagle, Buteogallus solitarius
  Barred hawk, Morphnarchus princeps
  Roadside hawk, Rupornis magnirostris
  Harris's hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus
  White-tailed hawk, Geranoaetus albicaudatus
  White hawk, Pseudastur albicollis
  Semiplumbeous hawk, Leucopternis semiplumbeus
  Gray hawk, Buteo plagiatus
  Gray-lined hawk, Buteo nitidus
  Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypterus
  Short-tailed hawk, Buteo brachyurus
  Swainson's hawk, Buteo swainsoni
  Zone-tailed hawk, Buteo albonotatus
  Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
caption: Swallow-tailed kite
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