Adult female light morph (Variable) © Ricardo Doumecq Milieu eBird S37350993 Macaulay Library ML 60095291
Adult male light morph (Variable) © Pablo Alejandro Pla
Adult light morph (Puna) © Brian Sullivan
Adult dark morph (Puna) © Carlos Vallejos Campos 🦉🦆🦅🦢🦜🦩🐦🐧🐣😉
Adult light morph (Puna) © Tor Egil Høgsås
+ 7
Juvenile (Puna) © Luke Seitz
Adult dark morph (Puna) © Graham Montgomery
Adult light morph (Puna) © Roger Ahlman
Juvenile (Variable) © Adrien Mauss
Adult dark morph (Red-backed) © Xavier Iñiguez Vela
Adult female light morph (Variable) © Matías Garrido 🐧

Variable Hawk Geranoaetus polyosoma

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Identification

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Common raptor in open spaces in the high Andes and southern South America. Large, relatively broad-winged, and short-tailed raptor. As the name suggests, plumage is quite variable. Adults range from clean white to dark gray and rufous below with a gray or rufous back. Always look for the white tail with a black band near the tip. Juveniles are more confusing, usually dark brown above and buffy below with a variable amount of dark streaking below. Juveniles can also be all dark brown (but this morph is rare). Compare with Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, which is larger and broader-winged, with young birds usually darker than most Variable Hawks. Occurs from sea level up to over 4,500 m in the Andes, typically in open agricultural land, desert, or paramo, but also ranging over wooded areas.

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