The Variable Hawk has several plumage forms. In Argentina's biodiversity account, a white tail with a broad black band is a shared field mark; the hawk searches open mountain habitats while soaring.
In the pale form, males have gray backs and females may have reddish backs. Gray and all-dark forms also occur; the tail has a broad black band on white.
It uses grass and shrub steppe, open woodland, and rocky mountain habitats. It soars while searching for prey and eats rodents, young hares, and reptiles; it may also take carrion.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.