Crane Hawk Geranospiza caerulescens Scientific name definitions

The Crane Hawk is a gangly raptor found in a wide variety of habitats. Gray overall, adults have a distinctive white crescent on the undersides of their primaries, and a black-and-white banded tail. Their long, orange, "double-jointed" legs are used to reach into crevices and cavities to obtain snakes, nestling birds, bats, and other food items. This species soars infrequently, and usually is spotted flying low overhead or perching in a tree inside forest or at the forest border. Uncommon in most areas, the Crane Hawk occurs from northern Mexico south to northwestern Peru, and east of the Andes south to northern Argentina and Uruguay.