Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatusOrder: FALCONIFORMES Family: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

Codes: Common Name: ZTHA Scientific Name: BUTALN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175368

Breeding Location:

Mountains, Canyons

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon

Egg Color:

White to blue with purple and yellow brown spots

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Large sticks

Migration:

Migratory

General

Zone-tailed Hawk: Large hawk, mostly black except for barred flight feathers and black-and-white banded tail. Eye-rings are gray. Bill and legs are yellow. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is brown-black with fine white spots around head and breast, and black-barred, brown tail.

Range and Habitat

Zone-tailed Hawk: Breeds from northern South America to Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico, where it is partially migratory. Strays reported from California and Nevada. Preferred habitats include deep, rough, and rocky wooded canyons and tree-lined rivers near mountains, valleys, or other "rugged" areas; hunts in open spaces such as desert grasslands or sparse forests.

Breeding and Nesting

Zone-tailed Hawk: One to three white to pale blue eggs, often spotted with brown, are laid in a large, loose nest made of sticks built in a large tree, 25 to 100 feet above the ground. Eggs are incubated primarily by the female for 35 days. Young fly in 6 to 7 weeks.

Foraging and Feeding

Zone-tailed Hawk: Feeds primarily on quail, small birds, lizards, small fish, and frogs; also eats large insects and small mammals. Soars and glides in circles when searching for food.

Vocalization

Zone-tailed Hawk: Call is a squealing whistle.

Similar Species

Zone-tailed Hawk: Turkey Vulture lacks tail bands and has no bars on flight feathers.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Zone-tailed Hawk

Zone-tailed Hawk: Large hawk, mostly black except for barred flight feathers, black-and-white banded tail. Eye-rings are gray. Bill, legs are yellow. Circles like a turkey vulture. Eats small rodents, birds. Soars and glides on thermals with wings lifted slightly above back, tilts from side to side.

● Song: No data available.

● Foraging & Feeding: Zone-tailed Hawk: Feeds primarily on quail, small birds, lizards, small fish, and frogs; also eats large insects and small mammals. Soars and glides in circles when searching for food.

● Breeding & nesting: Zone-tailed Hawk: One to three white to pale blue eggs, often spotted with brown, are laid in a large, loose nest made of sticks built in a large tree, 25 to 100 feet above the ground. Eggs are incubated primarily by the female for 35 days. Young fly in 6 to 7 weeks.

● Similar species: Zone-tailed Hawk: Turkey Vulture lacks tail bands and has no bars on flight feathers.

Flight Pattern

Soars on thermals., Flapping and gliding flight.

● Range & Habitat: Zone-tailed Hawk: Breeds from northern South America to Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico, where it is partially migratory. Strays reported from California and Nevada. Preferred habitats include deep, rough, and rocky wooded canyons and tree-lined rivers near mountains, valleys, or other "rugged" areas; hunts in open spaces such as desert grasslands or sparse forests.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight22.4 Ounces

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Flight feathers

Located on the wing, and collectively called remiges (singular, remex). The long stiff feathers are subdivided into two major groups based on the location and are called primaries and secondaries.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Zone-tailed Hawk

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Zone-tailed Hawk

Flight Pattern