White-throated Hawk Buteo albigula Scientific name definitions

The White-throated Hawk is one of the most representative raptors of deciduous-sclerophyllous and southern temperate forests of Chile and Argentina, where it breeds. During the austral spring and summer (October–March), it reproduces within old-growth and second-growth forests, building a nest in trees that are 20–40 m tall. The clutch size is one or occasionally two eggs, but there are no records of more than one fledgling per pair/season.

It is the only accipitrid that reproduces in southern South America and undertakes trans-equatorial migrations. During the early fall, thousands of individuals migrate northward throughout the Andes mountain range, where they cross the Atacama Desert (the driest desert on earth), large volcanoes (up to 6,000 m high), and inter-Andean valleys toward their wintering quarters in the montane forests of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Hawks migrate individually, in small groups (tens of individuals), or in large flocks (hundreds of individuals).

The White-throated Hawk is an agile hunter and searches for prey while soaring or hovering. Its primary prey is other birds, which it catches on the wing, on tree branches, over scrub, or directly on the ground. Despite being relatively numerous, its small breeding range and migratory behavior make it vulnerable to population declines.