It is a hawk found from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America. In the southern United States, it uses forests along rivers.
It is gray overall, with fine barring across the underside.
In southern Texas breeding areas, it uses riverside cottonwood and willow woods and often catches reptiles such as lizards.
In Arizona, it arrives in March and leaves by October; some individuals in extreme southern Texas do not migrate.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.