Currently this is considered a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Photographed in Uruguay, this is the erythronemius subspecies, which will eventually be known as the “Rufous-thighed Hawk.” The work of Therese Catanach found it to be basal to all other Sharp-shinned hawk populations in the Americas. The next closest relative is the Old World Eurasian Sparrowhawk. The work that Catanach did was concentrating on the Caribbean populations of Sharp-shins and the sampling was not complete for the mainland populations. As such we will likely need to wait for a taxonomic change. Visually this is a more bodly barred species below, and has noticeable rufous “pants.”