The great black hawk was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae.

[7] Two subspecies are recognised:[6] The adult great black hawk is 56 to 64 centimetres (22 to 25 in) long and weighs 1.1 kilograms (2 lb 7 oz).

The great black hawk is a resident breeding bird in the tropical New World, from Mexico through Central America to Peru, Tobago and northern Argentina.

[10] After disappearing for several months it reappeared in Deering Oaks park in Portland, Maine,[11] where it remained a resident until being rescued during a snow storm on January 20,[12] and transported to the bird rehab facility Avian Haven.

The bird was euthanized on January 31 at Avian Haven due to extensive frostbite which prevented blood from reaching either leg or foot.