Photo: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Galápagos hawk

The 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 and unafraid of you, 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 scavenge at campsites and picnic areas where permitted; keep food secured or you will have a four-hawk argument over your sandwich.
• On Fernandina in May and June they patrol the iguana hatchling season, which is the most dramatic predation-watching in the islands.

Last verified: September 2026