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 Los Nevados National Natural Park
34 Verified sightings at Los Nevados National Natural Park From 2019 to 2026
3,272 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026
October 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 Los Nevados National Natural Park

Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
White-tailed Hawk

White-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo albicaudatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Short-tailed Hawk
LC

Short-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo brachyurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-throated Hawk
LC

White-throated Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo albigula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Variable Hawk
LC

Variable Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo polyosoma

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Roadside Hawk
LC

Roadside Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rupornis magnirostris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle
LC

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Geranoaetus melanoleucus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Black-and-chestnut Eagle
EN

Black-and-chestnut Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizaetus isidori

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Plumbeous Kite
LC

Plumbeous Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ictinia plumbea

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sharp-shinned Hawk
LC

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-rumped Hawk

White-rumped Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Percnohierax leucorrhous

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-tailed Kite
LC

White-tailed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanus leucurus

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 Los Nevados National Natural Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Hawk sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Swainson's Hawk in Los Nevados National Natural Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Swainson's Hawk in Los Nevados National Natural Park in our monthly data.

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