Rufous-tailed Hawk

Rufous-tailed Hawk

Buteo ventralis

Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic

LCNTVUENEndangeredCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

In 3 days ~10%

9 Verified sightings at Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park From 2019 to 2026
30 In all 3 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rufous-tailed Hawk

The rufous-tailed hawk (Buteo ventralis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The rufous-tailed hawk is found in southern Argentina and Chile, including the entire region of Tierra del Fuego. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and temperate grassland.

The rufous-tailed hawk is similar to the red-tailed hawk. It was first recorded by Charles Darwin in Patagonia while on his voyage of the Beagle. The rufous-tailed hawk is a medium-sized hawk with a wing span of 45–60 cm. The overall size range of the hawk is 54–60 cm. There are two different colorations of the rufous-tailed hawk. The more common pale version of the hawk has a blackish brown upper parts, with a darker cap and cinnamon feathers along the side of the head and neck. The belly is white with dark markings and reddish brown coloration on it. The dark version is basically all black with whitish edging on the feathers. The call of the rufous-tailed hawk sounds like kee-ahrr.

The rufous-tailed hawk has been spotted living in a number of different habitat types, including evergreen... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call1:26

Chile · 2014

© Francisco Rivas Fuenzalida · XC565608 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:05

Chile · 2016

© Tomás Rivas Fuenzalida · XC565586 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:33

Argentina · 2006

© Felix Vidoz · XC53324 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
<5%
2 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
3 Tierra del Fuego National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rufous-tailed Hawk in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Hawk sighting in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 65th most-seen of the 70 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rufous-tailed Hawk in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park?

December

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Hawk in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park's driest months, with about 150 mm of rain against 490 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Rufous-tailed Hawk?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-tailed 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.

Is Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park the best place to see a Rufous-tailed Hawk?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rufous-tailed Hawk sightings, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Nahuel Huapi National Park (Argentina, under 5%) and Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, under 5%).

Where does the Rufous-tailed Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rufous-tailed Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (9 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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