The Common Black Hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures. It formerly included the Cuban Black Hawk as a subspecies. On the contrary, the Mangrove Black Hawk, traditionally considered a distinct species, is now generally considered a subspecies, subtilis, of the Common Black Hawk. The Common Black Hawk is a breeding bird in the warmer parts of the Americas, from the Southwestern United States through Central America to Venezuela, Peru, Trinidad and the Lesser Antilles.