[On the Galapagos, there is] a hawk, curiously intermediate in structure between a buzzard and the American group of carrion-feeding Polybori; and with these latter birds it agrees most closely in every habit and even tone of voice.
Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle, 8 October 1835
The Galapagos have few predators, which helps explain both the diversity of species and their tameness. No need to run if there’s nothing to run from.One of the few is the Galapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoenis), an endemic raptor that preys on lava lizards, young iguanas, finches and other small birds. Similar to its buzzard cousins, it will pick at carcasses of sea lions and other large fauna.
As I walked along the cliffs on Espanola I saw one perched on a solitary tower of basaltic lava at the water’s edge. It calmly surveyed the landscape, turning its head back and forth between the cliffs and the sea, watching Nazca Boobies fly back and forth between the adjacent rocks.
The hawks are relatively recent arrivals to the Galapagos, reaching the islands only about 300,000 years ago. An estimated 100 mating pairs and as many as 800 individuals are spread throughout all but a couple of the islands. It is a large bird, uniformly dark brown with a light, hooked beak.
They are apparently as tame as the rest of the islands’ wildlife. In his journal diary, Darwin noted, “A gun is here almost superfluous; for with the muzzle I pushed a hawk off the branch of a tree.”
