Leucopternis polionotus
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Hawk sighting in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 310th most-seen of the 352 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Hawk in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Mantled Hawk sightings, Itatiaia National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Mantled Hawk that you can see in Itatiaia National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Roadside Hawk (about 20%), Black Hawk-Eagle (about 10%) and White-tailed Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mantled Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Itatiaia National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
