This is a medium large species of hawk with a rounded head, a short tail and rounded wings with widely spread primary feathers. They are highly variable in colour, though all adults have a pale tail with a black sub-terminal band. Usually, the males are blue-grey above, while the larger females like this one are reddy-brown on the back, both have pale underparts. However there are some birds of both sexes that are mainly black. They are a widespread bird in the Falklands, occurring throughout most of the larger islands. They usually nest on ledges and in rocky crags, though they have also been reported to nest on the ground or on radar masts at Mt Pleasant. They can become quite aggressive in defending their nest. There is some indication that their population in the Falklands has increased since the 1950’s, and it is thought this to be due to the introduction of rats, mice, rabbits and hares, which form a large part of their diet, although they also eat many geese. They are widely distributed in South America, occurring north as far as Colombia and south-eastern Brazil.