Buteo polyosoma
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) is a polymorphic species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is widespread and often common in open habitats in western and southern South America, including the Falkland Islands. Its taxonomy is disputed, with some splitting it into the widespread red-backed hawk (G. polyosoma) and the Puna hawk or Gurney's hawk (G. poecilochrous) of the central and north Andean highlands, but the differences between the two are unclear. Most recent authorities have supported the lumping together of the two hawks although the issue still is controversial. On the contrary, the rare taxon from the Juan Fernández Islands is relatively distinctive, and possibly worthy of species recognition as the Juan Fernández hawk (B. exsul). In this article and most current accounts, the three races are regarded as subspecies.
The name variable hawk is fully deserved, as both sexes occur in several morphs. Adults of all have a white tail with a contrasting black subterminal band and grey wings barred dark (in flight from below, the remiges appear whitish with fine barring and a broad black tip). The remaining plumage varies from very dark grey... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 5 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 8 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Parque Zoologico Guátika | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Amaru | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Parque de las Leyendas | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 6 | Ecozoológico San Martín | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Zoologico Mundo Andino - Tipon | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Arequipa zoo | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Zoológico de Oruro | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 10 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 11 | Gauntlet Birds of Prey | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Cotswold Falconry Center | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 13 | Donjon des aigles | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Fauconnerie du Puy du Fou | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 16 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Hawk sighting in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 70 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Hawk in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June–July and September, 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.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable 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.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Variable Hawk sightings, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Península Valdés (Argentina, about 40%), Lauca National Park (Chile, about 30%) and Nahuel Huapi National Park (Argentina, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (44 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.
