Leucopternis occidentalis
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The grey-backed hawk (Pseudastur occidentalis) is a Vulnerable species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is found in Ecuador and far northern Peru. The grey-backed hawk was traditionally placed in genus Leucopternis but following a 2006 paper, taxonomists moved it and two other species to genus Pseudastur. The grey-backed hawk is monotypic.
The grey-backed hawk is 45 to 52 cm (18 to 20 in) long with a 104 to 116 cm (41 to 46 in) wingspan. One female weighed 660 g (23 oz). Females are about 10% larger than males and both sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a gray and white streaked head, nape, and mantle. They have blackish gray upperparts and a mostly white tail with a wide black band near the end. Their eye is dark brown, their cere gray, and their legs and feet pale yellow. Immatures have brownish gray upperparts, a dusky-striped nape, and gray spots on the breast.
The grey-backed hawk is found locally in western Ecuador between southern Esmeraldas and Loja provinces and slightly into Peru's Department of Tumbes. It inhabits subtropical and tropical... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-backed Hawk sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 136th most-seen of the 248 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-backed Hawk in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–August and October, the lowest months. That is one of Machalilla National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 140 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-backed Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Machalilla National Park, in our data
Machalilla National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Gray-backed Hawk sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Gray-backed Hawk that you can see in Machalilla National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Hook-billed Kite (about 20%), Gray-lined Hawk (about 10%) and Crane Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray-backed Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Machalilla National Park (37 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.
