CreatureData

Variable hawk

Geranoaetus polyosoma (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

LCLeast Concernbirds of prey

The variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 782.6 g to 1.14 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma)
Photo: HowardB · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the variable hawk

Weight
782.6 g – 1.14 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
1.24 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
1.7 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the variable hawk?

VARIABLE HAWK · WINGSPAN 1.24 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.24 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the variable hawk is about 73% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the variable hawk live?

Not recorded

What is the variable hawk?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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 northern 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.

From the Wikipedia article “Variable hawk” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Variable_hawk&oldid=1384814415), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the variable hawk sound like?

Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the variable hawk endangered?

The variable hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the variable hawk classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAccipitriformes
  5. familyAccipitridae
  6. genusGeranoaetus
  7. SpeciesGeranoaetus polyosoma (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Synonyms Buteo poecilochrous, Buteo polyosoma, Falco polyosoma

Other names and names in other languages (43)
  • باز متلونArabic
  • ÑamkuMapuche
  • الصقر المتغيرEgyptian Arabic
  • Червеногръб мишеловBulgarian
  • aligot tricolorCatalan
  • káně proměnliváCzech
  • káně rudohřbetáCzech
  • bwncath cefngochWelsh
  • PragtvågeDanish
  • PunabussardGerman
  • RotrückenbussardGerman
  • varia buteoEsperanto
  • PihuelSpanish
  • AguiluchoSpanish
  • Aguilucho comúnSpanish
  • Aguilucho de la PunaSpanish
  • Aguilucho Lomo RojoSpanish
  • Aguilucho ÑancoSpanish
  • Busardo dorsirrojoSpanish
  • mägiviuEstonian
  • باز رنگارنگPersian
  • punaselkähaukkaFinnish
  • Buse tricoloreFrench
  • andski škanjacCroatian
  • vöröshátú ölyvHungarian
  • Poiana dorsorossoItalian
  • セアカノスリJapanese
  • rudnugaris suopisLithuanian
  • RoodrugbuizerdDutch
  • andesvåkNorwegian
  • aguja rdzawogrzbietaPolish
  • Myszołów rdzawogrzbietyPolish
  • bútio-variávelPortuguese
  • gavião-de-costas-vermelhasPortuguese
  • Красноспинная агуйяRussian
  • Красноспинный канюкRussian
  • myšiak menlivýSlovak
  • Mnogobojni mišarSerbian
  • rödryggig vråkSwedish
  • Kızıl Sırtlı ŞahinTurkish
  • канюк андійськийUkrainian
  • 紅背鵟Chinese
  • 红背鵟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the variable hawk

Other species in the same genus Geranoaetus.

CompareVariable hawk vs Black-chested buzzard-eagleVariable hawk vs White-tailed hawk

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the variable hawk?

An adult variable hawk weighs 782.6 g – 1.14 kg and has a wingspan of 1.24 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the variable hawk endangered?

The variable hawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the variable hawk?

The variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/variable-hawk

MLA

“Variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/variable-hawk.

BibTeX
@misc{variable_hawk_2026,
  title = {Variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/variable-hawk},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}