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The vast blue skies of Galapagos are graced by the bold and majestic Galapagos hawk, whose flight is elegantly colored by its brown and black feathers during Galapagos hawk courtship. The Galapagos hawk, the top predator in this unique archipelago, has nothing to fear and is free to feast on the abundant food that flies, crawls, and swims throughout the islands. They frequently hunt in groups of two or three, ascending 50–200 meters (164–650 feet) into the sky before coming to the ground to eat their kill. But on this particular day, the Galapagos hawk is soaring overhead in search of something unique—a mate, to be exact.
Galapagos Hawk Courtship: An Oddball Display of Motions
Due to the Galapagos Islands‘ closeness to the equator, there are no seasons, so there is no set breeding pattern for the Galapagos hawk. There are no breeding seasons for these majestic and wealthy birds living in a kind of paradise. Galapagos hawks typically mate every day, either while perched or in flight. The male performs the gambit on behalf of the female, usually flying in close enough to stage fictitious attacks, often known as “dive-bombing,” until the female gives up or takes off. If the female Galapagos hawk accepts the male’s passive-aggressive signals, she will descend to the ground and look for solitude in a tree or bush, with the male pursuing closely.
An Uneven Type of Loyalty
The Galapagos hawk’s courtship results in a close-knit and cooperative nesting stage during which the male and female alternately monitor their nest and incubate their clutch of eggs. They will even divide up the work of feeding their offspring. However, monogamy is one aspect of their relationship that could be more reciprocal and evenly shared. The female can have up to several different guys during the year, unlike the male, who is only faithful to his spouse. If the female has more than one male in her life throughout the nesting season, she will move from nest to nest to assist with feeding and incubation.
A Long-Term Residence
The couple typically builds their nests in small trees, lava cliffs, or even directly on the ground. These are recurring nests in that they are used repeatedly over the years, occasionally growing to a diameter of one meter (4 feet) as they mature and being continuously maintained with additional layers of grass, leaves, bark, or any other soft material that can be found on the islands. There could be one, two, or three eggs in the nest. These newly hatched baby hawks will spend about two months raised by their parents before taking off alone.
One of the most recognizable species of Galapagos wildlife, the Galapagos hawk, can be seen on all three of the Santa Cruz II Galapagos cruises’ itineraries (Eastern, Western, and Northern). You might even be lucky to see them carry out this exact ceremony!
