Harris' Hawk
Harris' HawkHarris' HawkHarris' HawkHarris' Hawk

Harris' Hawk

Parabuteo unicinctus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
2,942 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,712 Verified sightings across all 34 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Harris' Hawk

Parabuteo unicinctus is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. It contains two subspecies, the Harris's hawk (P. u. harrisi) and the bay-winged hawk (P. u. unicinctus). The species is also occasionally referred to as the dusky hawk and known in Latin America as the peuco.

Harris's hawk is notable for its behavior of hunting cooperatively in packs consisting of tolerant groups, while other raptors often hunt alone. Harris's hawks' social nature has been attributed to their intelligence, which makes them easy to train and has made them a popular bird for use in falconry.

The name is derived from the Greek para, meaning beside, near or like, and the Latin buteo, referring to a kind of buzzard; uni meaning once; and cinctus meaning girdled, referring to the white band at the tip of the tail. John James Audubon gave this bird its English name in honor of his ornithological companion, financial supporter, and friend Edward Harris.

Robert Ridgway placed Harris's hawk in its own new subgenus Urubitinga (Antenor) in 1873, and introduced the generic name Parabuteo in 1874. Richard... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Red-tailed Hawk
LC Endemic

Red-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Bald Eagle
LC

Bald Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hen Harrier
LC

Hen Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus cyaneus

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

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Red-shouldered Hawk
LC

Red-shouldered Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo lineatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
White-tailed Kite
LC

White-tailed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanus leucurus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Gray-lined Hawk
LC

Gray-lined Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo nitidus

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

Zone-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo albonotatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Swainson's Hawk
LC

Swainson's Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo swainsoni

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Black-Hawk
LC

Common Black-Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteogallus anthracinus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Golden Eagle
LC Endemic

Golden Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila chrysaetos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
2 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
5 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
7 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
8 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
9 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
11 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
12 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
13 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Cajas National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
17 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
18 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
19 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
20 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
21 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
22 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
23 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
24 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
25 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
26 Lauca National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
Insufficient data
27 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
28 Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
Insufficient data
29 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
30 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
31 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
32 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
33 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
34 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Harris' Hawk in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Harris' Hawk sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 2,942 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Harris' Hawk in Saguaro National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Harris' Hawk in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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