White-rumped Hawk

Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Parabuteo leucorrhous
  • Spanish Name: Gavilán de rabadilla blanca
  • Family: Accipitridae
  • Known Nicknames: White-rumped Buzzard, Gurí
  • Average Length: 33–40 cm / 13–16 in
  • Average Weight: 290–410 g / 10–14 oz
  • Wingspan: 66–78 cm / 26–31 in
  • Key Feature: White lower back and rump contrasting with dark body
  • Primary Diet: Carnivore
  • Range: Central and South America (from Costa Rica to northern Argentina)
  • Habitat: Montane and subtropical forests, forest edges and clearings
  • Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
  • Nesting/Breeding: Stick nest in tree canopy
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The White-rumped Hawk (*Parabuteo leucorrhous*) is a striking raptor of South America’s montane forests, renowned for its bold and unmistakable plumage. This medium-sized hawk is predominantly sooty black, dramatically contrasted by a pure white rump and uppertail coverts that flash vividly in flight, while its tail is banded in black and white. A special feature is its close genetic relationship to the more widespread Harris’s Hawk, sharing that species’ sociable nature; White-rumped Hawks are often observed in small family groups, a rare trait among raptors, and they hunt cooperatively for birds, small mammals, and reptiles. With a piercing yellow eye and a sharply hooked beak, this agile predator combines stealth with striking visual cues, making it a captivating subject for birdwatchers exploring the Andean cloud forests.

Fun Facts

Despite its name, the White-rumped Hawk is one of the few raptors known to engage in cooperative polyandry, where a single female typically mates with two males who both help incubate eggs and feed chicks, a rare social structure among birds of prey. It also has a peculiar fondness for hunting in the dense, tangled bamboo thickets of the Andes, where it uses its unusually short, rounded wings to maneuver through the tight spaces like a feathered acrobat. Another quirky trait is its tendency to “ant,” or deliberately rub ants over its feathers, using the formic acid as a natural insecticide to ward off parasites.

Habitats & Distribution

The White-rumped Hawk inhabits humid montane and subtropical forests, typically between 1,500 and 3,000 meters in elevation. It is most often found in dense, mature cloud forests with a high canopy and abundant epiphytes, though it may also occur in adjacent forest edges and partially cleared areas. Geographically, its range is disjunct: it occurs in the Andes from western Venezuela and Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, with a separate population in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and eastern Paraguay.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The White-rumped Hawk is generally solitary outside of the breeding season, forming monogamous pairs that defend a territory. Courtship involves aerial displays, including steep dives and mutual soaring, with the male often presenting prey to the female. Nesting typically occurs in a stick platform built high in a tree, often reused and enlarged over successive years. The female lays a clutch of two to three eggs and performs most of the incubation, while the male provides food. A notable reproductive strategy is cooperative breeding, where offspring from previous broods may remain as helpers, assisting in defending the nest and feeding the young. This behavior increases chick survival rates in their Andean and South American forest habitats.

Diet

The White-rumped Hawk is a carnivorous raptor whose diet consists primarily of small to medium-sized birds and mammals, with a notable specialization in hunting doves, pigeons, and rodents like rats and mice. It is an opportunistic feeder that also takes reptiles, large insects, and occasionally amphibians, often snatching prey from dense understory vegetation or along forest edges. A particularly interesting aspect of its feeding behavior is that it frequently hunts in pairs or small family groups, employing cooperative tactics to flush out hidden prey, a strategy more common in larger raptors like the Harris's Hawk, its close relative. Additionally, this hawk has been observed caching excess food in tree forks or dense foliage, allowing it to return to a meal hours later, a behavior that helps it survive periods of scarce prey in its high-altitude Andean habitats.

Colors

The White-rumped Hawk is overall dark sooty-brown to blackish, with a striking white rump and uppertail coverts that contrast sharply with its black tail featuring a single white band. Its chest and belly are finely barred white and dark brown, while the undertail coverts are white. This pattern provides camouflage in dappled forest light, with the white rump potentially serving as a distraction or signal during flight.