Mantled Hawk

Mantled Hawk

Leucopternis polionotus

Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at São Paulo

In 3 days <5%

13 Verified sightings at São Paulo
32 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Mantled Hawk

The mantled hawk (Pseudastur polionotus) is a South American species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This hawk was formerly placed in the genus Leucopternis and was known as Leucopternis polionota or polionotus but is now classified as Pseudastur polionotus.

The adult of this medium-sized hawk has a bulky appearance with broad "shoulders" relative to total length. The body length measures 470-510mm, with females being slightly larger than males. The head, neck, upper back and entire undersurface except for the black wing tips and basal half of the tail are white. The white round head appears disproportionately large relative to the rest of the body and sometimes projects further than the tail. There are also markings around eyes, giving a masked appearance. The ceres and lores are grey or dull yellow. The bill is pale grey, gradually turning black at the tip. The iris is brown but often appears black in the field. The toes and tarsi are orange-yellow.

The wings, lower back and rump are black or dark bluish grey, with the dark primaries, secondaries, tertials and upper tail coverts having greyish bases with thin white square... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Curitiba Zoo 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mantled Hawk in São Paulo?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Hawk sighting in São Paulo on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 291st most-seen of the 353 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mantled Hawk in São Paulo?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Hawk in São Paulo on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Mantled Hawk?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mantled Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Mantled Hawk?

Only São Paulo, in our data

São Paulo is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Mantled Hawk sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Mantled Hawk live in São Paulo?

Same family: Accipitridae

The closest relatives of the Mantled Hawk that you can see in São Paulo (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Roadside Hawk (about 20%) and Sharp-shinned Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Mantled Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mantled Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in São Paulo (13 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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