Gundlach's hawk (Accipiter gundlachi) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is one of 21 endemic bird species of Cuba. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German-Cuban ornithologist Juan Cristobal Christoff Gundlach (1810–1896). It is threatened by habitat loss and human persecution. Description The hawk is a medium-sized forest raptor. It stands between 43–51 cm in height and has a stocky body shape. The adult hawk has a dark bluish-gray upper body and wings, with a black head. The under body of the bird is a lighter color. It also has a striped tail that is rounded in flight. Immature hawks are mostly brown on the top and paler on the bottom, but with dark streaking down the body. Compared to other raptors such as the bicolored hawk, Gundlach's hawks are shorter and faster. Behavior Breeding Typically, Gundlach's hawk nests high up in trees in the forest, such as pines, at about an altitude of 19–25 meters. Nesting high allows for hawks to prey on other birds that nest at much lower altitudes. Also, the altitude helps protect against predators. This is not uncommon to the accipiter genera. Nests are commonly made of smaller twigs from the trees that are found in the habitat. Feeding Gundlach's hawk feeds almost exclusively on birds. Because of the hawks large feet, it can feed on the Cuban Parrot, the Cuban Parakeet, and the Cuban Macaw (before it became extinct). Other birds in its diet include doves, pigeons, quail and chicken. Voice Gundlach's hawks has two main calls the kek and the "squeal" which is usually associated with species of its type, Accipiter. The vocalizations for these calls are different for the sexes with variations in pitch, tempo and length. The male call is softer, clearer, and shallower with a higher peak compared to the female who makes most of the calls and whose call is at a softer pitch. Distribution and habitat Gundlach's hawk is found only in Cuba. At one point it was common to find them throughout the country, however, now they can only be found in five isolated areas. The bulk of the population exists primarily on the eastern half of the island, in the two larger population centers, with the other three smaller populations on the west side of the island. They are able to live in a variety of habitats up