Raptors live on every continent except Antarctica, spanning nearly every habitat type on Earth. From Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests, deserts to city skylines, birds of prey have adapted to an extraordinary range of environments. Their global distribution is uneven, though, with some regions supporting more than 60 species in a single area while polar and arid zones may host only one or two.
Global Distribution by Region
The richest raptor diversity on the planet is concentrated in three areas: the South American Andes, the Himalayan and Indo-Malayan regions, and sub-Saharan Africa. Species richness varies dramatically, from a single species per 10,000 square kilometers in some polar or desert zones to 65 species in the most biodiverse tropical areas.
At the country level, Indonesia leads the world with 116 raptor species, roughly 21% of all known raptors. Colombia follows with 103 species, and Ecuador and Peru each host 102. These tropical countries offer a combination of elevation changes, dense forest cover, and warm climates that support both resident and migratory species. Indonesia, the Philippines, and Madagascar also stand out for endemic raptors, species found nowhere else, with 43, 24, and 13 endemic species respectively.
Three raptor species have managed to colonize every continent except Antarctica: the peregrine falcon, the osprey, and the barn owl. Their success reflects remarkable adaptability to different climates and prey sources. Antarctica remains the one landmass with no raptors at all.
Forests, Grasslands, and Mountains
Forests are the single most important habitat type for raptors worldwide. Many familiar species, including ospreys, red-tailed hawks, and bald eagles, depend on forested landscapes for nesting and hunting. Some prefer coniferous forests with evergreen trees, others thrive in deciduous woodlands that lose their leaves seasonally, and still others occupy tropical rainforests year-round.
Open grasslands and savannas support a different set of raptors. Hawks and kestrels that hunt by hovering or scanning from perches favor these landscapes because they offer clear sightlines to spot small mammals and insects. In South America and Africa, vast grasslands sustain some of the highest concentrations of diurnal (daytime-hunting) raptors on Earth.
Mountain environments push raptors to remarkable extremes. In the Colombian Andes, researchers have documented raptors living and breeding at elevations above 3,400 meters (about 11,000 feet). The carunculated caracara is common in high-altitude grasslands up to 4,500 meters (nearly 15,000 feet), close to the upper limit where vegetation can grow. Sharp-shinned hawks have been recorded as high as 4,000 meters, and American kestrels are locally common between 1,600 and 3,200 meters. The Andean condor, perhaps the most iconic high-altitude raptor, historically ranged across these same elevations, though its numbers have declined sharply.
Deserts and Tundra
Raptors occupy both temperature extremes. Peregrine falcons breed in the Arctic tundra, where temperatures can drop to minus 34 degrees Celsius (minus 29 Fahrenheit). These same birds then migrate thousands of miles to winter in South America, making them one of the most wide-ranging animals on the planet.
Desert raptors face the opposite challenge. Species like the Harris’s hawk in the American Southwest and various buzzards in the Sahara have adapted to intense heat and scarce water. Overall, though, arid zones support fewer raptor species than forests or mountains. The pattern holds in both hemispheres: the driest and coldest regions consistently show the lowest species counts.
Raptors in Cities and Suburbs
Urban areas have become increasingly important raptor habitat. The majority of raptor genera in North America have been recorded using urban environments in some capacity. Research along the urban gradient in Reno-Sparks, Nevada, found that Cooper’s hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and red-tailed hawks nested across the widest range of urban density, including areas close to the city core. Golden eagles and Swainson’s hawks, by contrast, stuck to the urban fringe.
Suburban neighborhoods appear to be especially attractive. Raptors tolerate a wide range of building densities but tend to avoid the tallest, most employee-dense commercial districts. The mix of mature trees, open lawns, and abundant songbirds or rodents makes suburbia a productive hunting ground. Peregrine falcons are a notable exception to the tall-building avoidance: they famously nest on skyscraper ledges and bridges in cities like New York, Chicago, and London, using the structures as stand-ins for the cliff faces they would naturally choose.
How Migration Shapes Where Raptors Live
Many raptors occupy completely different habitats depending on the season. In western North America, tracking data reveals clear patterns. American kestrels that breed in central Alberta and Idaho spend winters as far south as the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacán, and Oaxaca. Sharp-shinned hawks nesting in the Rocky Mountains from Colorado to Alberta winter primarily along Mexico’s west coast. Cooper’s hawks from the intermountain West concentrate along the Pacific coast of Mexico from Sinaloa to the Guatemalan border.
Red-tailed hawks show one of the broadest migratory spreads. Birds banded in locations ranging from northeastern Oregon to southern California have been recovered in winter as far south as Oaxaca, Mexico, while others winter only as far as central New Mexico or northern California. Not all individuals migrate: some northern goshawks, for instance, simply disperse short distances within the Great Basin rather than making a true seasonal migration.
These migration patterns mean that a single raptor species can “live” in boreal forest during summer and tropical dry forest during winter. The habitats they need at each end of the journey are equally critical to their survival.
Territory Size and Space Needs
How much space a raptor needs depends largely on its size and the density of available prey. Red-tailed hawks typically defend a nesting territory of about half a square mile to one full square mile. Bald eagles require considerably more room, with nesting territories ranging from 2.5 to 15 square miles. In both cases, territories shrink when food is plentiful and expand when prey is scarce.
Smaller raptors like kestrels can get by with far less space, sometimes defending territories of only a few dozen acres. At the other extreme, large soaring species like golden eagles and condors may range over hundreds of square miles while foraging, even though they defend a much smaller area around the nest itself. This variation helps explain why you might spot a kestrel hunting along a highway median strip while a golden eagle needs an entire mountain valley.