The Cuban Black Hawk has a patchy distribution and is classified as "near threatened" by Birdlife International. This uncommon Cuban endemic was formerly considered to be a race of the Common Black Hawk (B. anthracinus). The two were split by the AOU in 2007 based on a publication by Wiley & Garrido (2005) who pointed out that the Cuban form is decidedly smaller, browner, has larger and more distinct white underwing patches and significantly different vocalizations. Cuban Black Hawk often shows a pale malar stripe as seen here. The Cuban Black Hawk is a Mangrove specialist with some similarities to the subtilis subspecies group of Common Black Hawk ranging through parts of Middle and South America and sometimes split as Mangrove Black Hawk (B. subtilis). The AOU removed the hyphen from Black-Hawk in 2015 after genetic studies showed that the group was polyphyletic. Great Black Hawk (B. urubitinga) is not Common Black Hawk's closest relative. For details see SACC Proposal 515.
Reference:
Wiley, J.W.; Garrido, O.H. 2005. Taxonomic status and biology of the Cuban Black-hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus gundlachii (Aves: Acciptridae). The Journal of Raptor Research 39:351–364.
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