Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's HawkSwainson's HawkSwainson's HawkSwainson's Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Big Bend National Park
242 Verified records at Big Bend National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is a large bird species in the Accipitriformes order. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist. It is colloquially known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk, as it is very fond of Acrididae (locusts and grasshoppers) and will voraciously eat these insects whenever they are available. Their breeding habitat is prairie and dry grasslands in western North America. They build a stick nest in a tree or shrub or on a cliff edge. This species is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Argentina; it has been recorded as a vagrant in neighboring Chile, in the island countries of the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, and in Norway. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Hawk sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 242 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Big Bend National Park

Red-tailed Hawk
LC Endemic

Red-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo jamaicensis

20–30% · Possible
Gray-lined Hawk
LC

Gray-lined Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo nitidus

10–20% · With luck
Zone-tailed Hawk
LC

Zone-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo albonotatus

5–10% · With luck
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

<5% · Rare
Red-shouldered Hawk
LC

Red-shouldered Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo lineatus

<5% · Rare
Ferruginous Hawk
LC

Ferruginous Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo regalis

<5% · Rare
Common Black-Hawk
LC

Common Black-Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteogallus anthracinus

10–20% · With luck
Sharp-shinned Hawk
LC Endemic

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

<5% · Rare
Harris' Hawk
LC

Harris' Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Parabuteo unicinctus

Insufficient data
Hen Harrier
LC

Hen Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus cyaneus

<5% · Rare
Golden Eagle
LC Endemic

Golden Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila chrysaetos

<5% · Rare
Mississippi Kite
LC

Mississippi Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ictinia mississippiensis

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
5–10
Apr
5–10
May
5–10
Jun
<5
Jul
5–10
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
10–20%
2 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
3 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
5 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
6 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
7 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
8 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
9 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
10 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
5–10%
11 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
12 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
13 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
15 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
18 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
19 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
22 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
29 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
30 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
32 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
34 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
37 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
38 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
39 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
40 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
42 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
45 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
46 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
47 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
48 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
49 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
50 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
51 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
52 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
53 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
54 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
55 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
56 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
57 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
58 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
59 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
60 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
61 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
62 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
63 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
64 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Insufficient data
65 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
66 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
67 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
68 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
69 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
70 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
71 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Swainson's Hawk in Big Bend National Park?

About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Hawk sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 242 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Swainson's Hawk in Big Bend National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Swainson's Hawk in Big Bend National Park in our monthly data.

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