I was on my way up to Chivay in the Peruvian highland region heading toward the world's deepest canyon, the Colca Canyon. I stopped at a snack shop by the roadside when I spotted a Red-Backed Hawk sitting on the roof. I took out my camera to take a photo of the hawk when I saw a local guy throwing chicken parts up on the roof to feed him. I was fortunate to capture the hawk with widespread wings.

The Variable Hawk (Red-backed Hawk) prey on almost any small to medium-sized animals that can be caught, but smallish mammals comprise more than 90% of prey in some studies. The most commonly recorded prey includes cavies, tuco-tucos, rabbits, miceand paramo rats. Birds are sometimes taken. Other prey include other rodents &lagomorphs, frogs, lizards, snakes, and fish. The Variable Hawk hunts in the typical Buteo style: prey being spotted while soaring from the air and pinned on the ground.