A Variable Hawk on Windy Day in Argentina - Observation of the Week, 6/14/22

Our Observation of the Week is this Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma, Aguilucho común in Spanish), seen in Argentina by @lechuzoologo!

(Ezequiel wrote a very nice, complete piece in response to my prompts so I’m publishing it in its entirety below, with some minor copy edits. I’ve also added some links to his text, and some info about variable hawks at the bottom.)

I’m Ezequiel Racker, from Argentina, and I’m a nineteen year old student of bioIogy. I have always been interested in animals. When I was just a toddler, I was passionate about dinosaurs and snakes. As I grew up, at around 8, I began taking photographs and dreaming of becoming a wildlife photographer. Now I don’t think of it as a job anymore. It is a hobby I really love. Then, when I was approximately 11 I discovered bird watching. Ever since then, I have been taking every opportunity I get to combine these two passions: photography and bird watching. 

Apart from studying Biology at Argentina’s UBA University, I am a member of the group of birdwatchers of Escobar (COA Pava de Monte), the area where I live. I am also a member of eBird Argentina, where I work in the communication team. Also, the last two summers I participated as a volunteer in the “Programa Patagonia”, a conservation program that studies and protects many species in Santa Cruz province, such as the Hooded Grebe (Podiceps gallardoi). During this experience not only did I spend several months doing fieldwork in the Patagonian steppe, I also had the opportunity to meet other people who shared the same interests. 

This volunteering programme was a memorable and enriching experience in more ways than one. I think that during those months I took some of the best photographs I have ever taken as I was closer to nature than ever before. One of these photographs is none other than my photograph of the Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma). 

One day I was going around doing my duties as part of the programme. I was camping in the Strobel plateau, and I was really excited about it because I had been told that a family of Magellanic Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus magellanicus) lived nearby. So, as I did my chores, I was alert to any sign of the presence of one of my favorite species. Suddenly, I heard a shrieking sound, so I took out my camera and got ready to take some shots. I walked towards the sound and was surprised to find that the one making the sound was the Variable Hawk. As I got closer, I started taking photographs. I wanted to get one of it vocalizing and looking at me at the same time. But it was not easy because it did not look at me most of the time. It was incredibly windy. And then I got lucky, I could take the shot I wanted, with the bird looking at me as it vocalized. Plus, the wind blew so hard just then that its tail was literally lifted, giving it an eeky dromaeosaurid look.

As regards iNaturalist, I have been using it for over a year. I use it both to share and to keep my records in an organized and helpful way. Before using iNaturalist I was almost exclusively focused on birds, and maybe just a few mammals and snakes. Now, however, I have become more curious about a lot of other species, not only animals but also plants and fungi.

As its English common name suggests, this species of hawk has many different plumages (at least 27), perhaps the most of any raptor. They range throughout much of western and southern South America and inhabit a variety of habitats. They catch and eat small to medium sized prey and have a wingspan of 113 to 151 cm (45–60 in).

(Photo of Ezequiel by Gonzalo Pardo)

- You can follow Ezequiel on Twitter and Instagram.

- eBird has some good audio clips of this species. 

- take a look at the diverse array of variable hawk plumages on iNat.

Posted on June 14, 2022 09:47 PM by tiwane