Travel guide · Wildlife
Galápagos hawk
Galápagos' only diurnal raptor, under 500 birds left. Where the hawk still hunts, its polyandrous breeding system and what threatens its 130 territories.
Photo: David BritoThe largest resident bird in the archipelago and its only diurnal raptor, so when something circles overhead here, it is this. The species is also one of the rarest raptors you will ever see casually: the IUCN counts roughly 400–500 birds (about 270–330 mature individuals), BirdLife tracks around 130 breeding territories, and the species is listed Vulnerable. Hawks are unafraid of people, which makes sightings feel closer than they should be.
Where to see them
The hawk vanished from the inhabited islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Floreana) decades ago; the survivors hold the remote islands:
- Española. The most reliable sighting on a classic itinerary; hawks patrol the Punta Suárez trail and circle over the albatross colony.
- Fernandina and Isabela. Strong populations on the western islands; watch the trail at Punta Espinosa and the skies over Punta Moreno and Urbina Bay.
- Santiago. Seen along the coastal trail at Puerto Egas and over Espumilla Beach.
- Santa Fe and Marchena. Present; Santa Fe is one of the best chances on a day trip from Santa Cruz.
- Genovesa, Pinta, Pinzón, Wolf and Darwin. In range on the far itineraries.
A soaring adult over a lava field is the classic view; at Santiago and Española you may also watch one walking the rocks, which they do when the wind dies.
When to see them
Year-round; this is a resident breeder with no migration. Air courtship with talon-grappling displays is best watched in the August–September window on some islands, and nesting happens in exposed lava flows, an odd choice until you remember there are no predators to hide from. Nests are reused and grow large over years.
The breeding system that stumps everyone
Galápagos hawks practice cooperative polyandry: one female mates with up to seven males, and all of them help incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. DNA studies show chicks in one nest can be fathered by different males of the group. No other raptor does this so consistently, and it is why you often see three or four hawks perched peaceably within sight of each other in breeding season.
Conservation
Vulnerable, with the population confined to about 130 known breeding territories and fewer than 500 individuals. Two pressures explain the decline: persecution and disturbance by people on the inhabited islands (historically direct, now indirect), and changes driven by introduced species. The hawk is the only natural predator of the Galápagos racer, so its health ripples down the food chain. Keep your distance on trails; like most island predators they have no fear response, and the park’s 2-metre rule exists for their sake as much as yours (rules here).
Details worth knowing
- Diet is the archipelago’s broadest for a bird: iguanas, lava lizards, snakes, insects, rats, seabird chicks, and baby tortoises (the shell takes a few years to become armor).
- They hunt by stillness as much as speed, perching low on lava and ambushing.
- On Española they patrol the albatross colony all season; the island’s other residents are in our Española guide.
- They show no fear at landing sites and will perch within a few metres of a group; keeping the distance rule is on you, not the bird.
- On Fernandina in May and June they patrol the iguana hatchling season, which is the most dramatic predation-watching in the islands.
How to tell a hawk from everything else in the sky
Only a few large birds soar over the islands, and the hawk is the only one that hunts. From below it is broad-winged and short-tailed, dark brown all over in adults with a pale band at the tip of the tail, and it holds its wings flat rather than in the V of a vulture, which does not occur here anyway. Juveniles are mottled cream and brown and can be mistaken for a different species; they are the same bird, two or three years from adult plumage. Frigatebirds, the other big silhouette, have long forked tails and angled wings and never land on rocks; the hawk perches constantly, on lava, on cactus and on trail markers.
Behaviour settles any doubt. A hawk will sit on a rock beside the trail and watch a group walk past at four metres, turning its head to follow each person, because nothing in its evolutionary history has taught it that people matter. Give it the two-metre rule it does not ask for, keep moving, and it will still be there when the last of your group goes by.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the Galápagos hawk?
Española, Fernandina, Isabela, Santiago and Santa Fe are the reliable islands; the hawk vanished from Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Floreana decades ago. Punta Suárez on Española is the best bet on a classic itinerary.
How many Galápagos hawks are left?
Roughly 400–500 birds, about 270–330 of them mature, in around 130 breeding territories. The species is listed as Vulnerable.
Is it true one female hawk mates with several males?
Yes. Galápagos hawks practise cooperative polyandry: one female with up to seven males, all of which help incubate and feed the chicks. No other raptor does it so consistently.
Sources
- Galápagos hawk factsheet, BirdLife International
- Cooperative polyandry in the Galápagos hawk, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
- Biodiversity of Galápagos, Galápagos Conservancy
Last verified: October 2026