Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma)

Other Names (World)
Variable Hawk, Red-backed Hawk, Juan Fernandez Hawk (exsul)

Family
Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles)

Size
45 - 62 cm
Wingspan: 113 - 151 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Range (Guide)

Argentina (B) (NB), Bolivia (B) (NB), Chile (B) (NB), Colombia (B) (NB), Ecuador (B) (NB), Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (B) (NB), Paraguay (NB), Peru (B) (NB), Uruguay (NB).

Vagrant to Brazil.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2011) and decreasing.

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (15)...)

Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) [XC36501]
by Mike Nelson from Layamani area, Japumayo Valley, Cusco, Peru (call)

Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) [XC260349]
by Leonardo Ord\u00f3\u00f1ez-Delgado from Pichincha: Loma Yanayacu Polylepis forest, Volc\u00e1n Pichincha, Ecuador (courtship display)

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Puna Hawk (Buteo poecilochrous), with which sometimes considered conspecific. May also be closely related to Galapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) and White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus), and all four sometimes included in superspecies. Said to replace White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) at medium altitude. Subspecies exsul may be approaching species status. Nominate subspecies includes possible subspecies erythronotus, aethiops and peruviensis.

The following 4 subspecies are recognised:

polyosoma (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) - Central Andes of Colombia south through Andes to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Also Falkland Is.
exsul (Salvin, 1875) - Alejandro Selkirk I (M�s Afuera) in Juan Fern�ndez Is, off south-central Chile.
poecilochrous (Gurney Sr, 1879) - Andes from southern Colombia to southern Ecuador.
fjeldsai (Cabot, J & de Vries, 2009) - Andes from northern Peru to north-western Argentina.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) - 10 files

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BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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