Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's HawkSwainson's HawkSwainson's HawkSwainson's Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Banff National Park
22 Verified sightings at Banff National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,272 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Swainson's Hawk

Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is a large bird species in the Accipitriformes order. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist. It is colloquially known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk, as it is very fond of Acrididae (locusts and grasshoppers) and will voraciously eat these insects whenever they are available.

Their breeding habitat is prairie and dry grasslands in western North America. They build a stick nest in a tree or shrub or on a cliff edge. This species is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Argentina; it has been recorded as a vagrant in neighboring Chile, in the island countries of the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, and in Norway.

This species or its immediate predecessor is the ancestor of the Galápagos hawk, as demonstrated by recent research. Then later diverged from the mainland birds perhaps 300,000 years ago, a very short time in evolution. Swainson's hawk is a raptor and a medium-sized member of the genus Buteo. It broadly overlaps in size with the red-tailed hawk (B. jamaicensis), a related species found as a breeding resident almost throughout North America. Swainson's hawk is on average a little... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Banff National Park

Red-tailed Hawk
LC

Red-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rough-legged Hawk
LC

Rough-legged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo lagopus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Bald Eagle
LC

Bald Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Hen Harrier
LC

Hen Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus cyaneus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Golden Eagle
LC

Golden Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila chrysaetos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Sharp-shinned Hawk
LC

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Osprey
LC

Osprey

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pandion haliaetus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Turkey Vulture
LC

Turkey Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cathartes aura

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
2 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
4 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
8 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
11 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
13 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
14 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
16 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
21 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
28 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
29 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
31 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
34 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
36 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
37 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
38 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
39 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
40 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
41 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
42 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
43 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
44 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
45 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Insufficient data
46 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
47 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
48 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
49 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
50 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
51 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
52 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Swainson's Hawk in Banff National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Hawk sighting in Banff National Park, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Swainson's Hawk in Banff National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Swainson's Hawk in Banff National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Banff National Park