Astur atricapillus

Formerly (AOU 1983, 1998) included in Accipiter, but genetic data (Catanach et al. 2024) show that Accipiter sensu lato did not form a monophyletic group, and that the species now placed in Astur are not closely related to true Accipiter.

Accipiter atricapillus was formerly (e.g., AOU 1957, 1983, 1998) considered conspecific with A. gentilis, but separated based on vocal and morphological differences (Sangster 2022) and polyphyly of mitochondrial DNA (Kunz et al. 2019) (AOS 2023). Treated as a separate species from A. gentilis prior to AOU (1957), as American Goshawk.

This species is widespread and known from numerous localities.

Breeds in North America, from western and central Alaska, northern Yukon, western and southern Mackenzie, southern Keewatin (probably), northeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, central and northeastern Quebec, Labrador, and Newfoundland, south to southern Alaska (west to the base of the Alaska Peninsula), southern California (to San Bernardino Mountains), southern Nevada, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, the eastern foothills of the Rockies (including the Black Hills of western South Dakota), central Alberta, central Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, central Michigan, Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, and northwestern Connecticut, in the Appalachian mountains south to West Virginia and western Maryland, and south in the Mexican highlands to Jalisco and (probably) Guerrero (AOU 1998, AOS 2023).

This species is represented by a large number of occurrences.