The Galápagos Hawk

Scientific name: Buteo galapagoensis

The Galápagos Hawk is one of the predators of the finches and other birds on the Galápagos Islands. The hawks also prey on insects, rats, and small lizards, and will scavenge dead animals they find. Hawks are not common on Daphne Major, but they have been occasionally spotted there.

A Galápagos Hawk, predator of the Galápagos Finches. This hawk has been banded for identification by scientists. (Photo, Arkntina, Flickr Creative Commons)

A Galápagos Hawk preying on a smaller bird (a blue-footed booby) on the island of Española. (Photo, Max Westby, Flickr Creative Commons)

(Photo, John Jackson)

Data Collected

Typical Size

Length (beak to tail)	55 cm
Wing Span	120 cm