White-necked Hawk

White-necked Hawk

Leucopternis lacernulatus

Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Serra dos Órgãos National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

46 Verified sightings at Serra dos Órgãos National Park From 2019 to 2026
83 In all 2 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-necked Hawk

The white-necked hawk (Buteogallus lacernulatus) is a Vulnerable species of bird of prey in the subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Brazil. The white-necked hawk was for a time placed in genus Leucopternis but molecular studies placed it in Buteogallus. A 2009 paper proposed the new monotypic genus Amadonastur for it but this treatment has not been accepted by worldwide taxonomic systems. The white-necked hawk is monotypic.

The white-necked hawk is 43 to 48 cm (17 to 19 in) long with a 91 to 101 cm (36 to 40 in) wingspan. Males and females have the same plumage, though females are about 4% larger than males. Adults have a white head and underparts and black upperparts. Their tail is black with a wide white band in the middle. Their eye is brown or pale yellow and their legs and feed yellow. Immatures are similar to adults but with dark streaks on their crown and neck, brown tips on some upperparts feathers, and white barring on the black base of their tail.

The white-necked hawk is found discontinuously in southeastern Brazil from Paraíba south to Paraná state... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording2:02

Brazil · 2024

© Marcelo Schmidt Roberti · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santos 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Curitiba Zoo 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
2 São Paulo Zoo 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
3 Agroflori Parque de las Aves 🇧🇴 Bolivia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-necked Hawk in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-necked Hawk sighting in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 182nd most-seen of the 336 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-necked Hawk in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

January–March, May–June and August–November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-necked Hawk in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, July and December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a White-necked Hawk?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-necked 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.

Is Serra dos Órgãos National Park the best place to see a White-necked Hawk?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate White-necked Hawk sightings, Serra dos Órgãos National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Tijuca National Park (Brazil, under 5%).

Where does the White-necked Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-necked Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (46 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.

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