Zone-tailed hawk

Zone-tailed hawk
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Buteo
Species:	B. albonotatus
Binomial name
	Buteo albonotatus; Kaup, 1847

Last updated January 29, 2024

The zone-tailed hawk (Buteo albonotatus) is a medium-sized hawk of warm, dry parts of the Americas. It is somewhat similar in plumage and flight style to a common scavenger, the turkey vulture, and may benefit from being able to blend into groups of vultures. It feeds on small terrestrial tetrapods of all kinds.

Taxonomy

In 1844, the English zoologist George Robert Gray, in his List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum, mentioned the zone-tailed hawk under the common name "white spotted buzzard" and coined the binomial name Buteo albonotatus. As Gray omitted a species description, his binomial name is considered nomen nudum, a naked name, and is not recognised.^[2]^[3] Instead, the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup is recognised as the authority as in 1847, he provided a brief description and used Gray's name Buteo albonotatus.^[4] The type locality is Mexico.^[3] The specific epithet albonotatus combines the Latin albus meaning "white" with notatus meaning "marked".^[5] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.^[6]

Description

The zone-tailed hawk is a fairly large but slender Buteo hawk. Grown birds are 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 in) in length with a wingspan of about 117–140 cm (46–55 in). The zone-tailed is comparable in length and wingspan to common large Buteos found to the north such as Swainson's and red-tailed hawk, but may weigh considerably less. Their body mass can range from 565–1,080 g (1.246–2.381 lb). In measurements, the sexes are close in size, but the female, at an average of 900 g (2.0 lb), is much heavier and bulkier than the male, at an average of 637 g (1.404 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 36.5–46 cm (14.4–18.1 in), the fairly long tail is 19.4–23.5 cm (7.6–9.3 in) and the tarsus is 6.7–7.8 cm (2.6–3.1 in).^[7]

The adult plumage is mostly blackish. The notable exception is that the flight feathers are barred with lighter gray, which can appear solid silver-gray from a distance. The tail has three or four bands (the "zones" of the common name), white from below and light gray from above, of which the one second from the tip is particularly broad and conspicuous. The cere and legs are yellow, the lores are light gray and a light touch of white may be seen on the face. Immatures are similar except for small white spots on the breast and tails with narrow gray and black bands and a broad dark tip. The zone-tailed hawk adults resemble the common black hawk but are distinctly more slender in flight and overall small, and they have more white bars on the tail. Other Buteo hawks in their dark phase, especially the broad-winged hawk, may appear similar but often have more silvery coloration on the wings and are broader-winged.^[7]

The call is a loud scream, a somewhat typical Buteo call, dropping in pitch at the end, kra kree-kree-kree-kree. In at least some birds, there is an abrupt rise in pitch (like a break to a falsetto voice) in the middle and an equally abrupt drop back down. They are most often heard vocalizing when engaging in breeding displays at the beginning of the mating season. When disturbed at the nest, they may utter a long, lower-pitched raaaaauu.^[7]

Distribution and habitat

Zone-tailed hawks range from parts of southern Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas almost throughout inland Mexico and the central portions of Central America down into eastern Colombia, Ecuador, and more sporadically, into Peru, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. In winter, they generally withdraw from the U.S. and northernmost Mexico, with these populations wintering mostly in Oaxaca and the Yucatán Peninsula. They are also native to the Caribbean island of Trinidad. The hawks of Central America may be seasonally migratory, although their movements are not well known. Zone-tails sometimes wander out of their normal range, and the bird was once recorded in Nova Scotia.^[7]

They can adapt to various habitats across their broad range, including both closed and open ones and wet and dry ones. Often, the largest numbers are found in rocky areas with access to water. They often reside in coniferous or pine-oak forests as well as timbered canyonland, hilly riverine woods, dry open boscage and scrub, humid forests, and overgrown marshes. They may forage over ranches and even semi-desert, but always need at least scattered tree thickets for nesting. Furthermore, they may be distributed in elevation from sea level to 3,000 m (9,800 ft), though are mainly found below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in the north and 500 m (1,600 ft) in the southern reaches of the breeding range.^[7]

Behaviour and ecology

The bird's flight feathers closely resemble those of the turkey vulture. Zone-tailed hawks soar with their wings held in a dihedral position (pointing slightly upwards), rocking from side to side, a flight style that parallels that of turkey vultures. Bird guides caution against confusing them with the much more common turkey vulture, but at a reasonable distance, one can distinguish them from vultures by their smaller size, the typical hawk shape of the wings and head, and the pale stripe on the tail. Since vultures frequently can be seen flying in numbers (groups are called "kettles"), zone-tailed hawks can mingle with them and are perhaps most often missed by the human eye in such kettles.^[7]

Breeding

The mating season of the species varies geographically but is almost always in the first half of the year. In the northern reaches of the range, the breeding season is mid-April through July, whereas in Trinidad and Ecuador, it is February through June. Eggs have been found as late as August in Colombia, implying only a loose breeding season in the true tropics. The mating pair performs a courtship display, which may include engaging in aerial loops, dives, and rolls with each other. The nest is typical of hawks: a big, bulky assemblage of sticks, lined with green leaves, usually built on the top or the main fork of a tree, in this case at 7.5 to 30 m (25 to 98 ft) above the ground. Typically, tall trees such as cottonwood or pine trees are selected, and the nest may be in the open or concealed by foliage. Occasionally, nests are found on cliffs.^[7]

The clutch comprises one to three, typically two, white eggs, often marked with brown. Incubation lasts for around 28 to 35 days and typically the female incubates, while being fed by the male, although the male may occasionally incubate. The young are semi-altricial at hatching and are covered in gray down. They grow slowly for the first 7 days of life and then considerably faster from 7 to 21 days old. As is common in raptors the older sibling often kills the younger one or outcompetes it for food; only occasionally do both survive to adulthood. The younger hatchling is sometimes referred to as the "spare" one since it may be tended to more directly if the first dies. The young fledge at 42 to 50 days, though are not typically self-assured fliers until around a week later. They may remain in their parents' care until the following breeding season, though in migratory populations, the young and adults often separate. There have been no extensive reports on longevity and mortality in the species.^[7]

Food and feeding

Unlike turkey vultures that do not normally prey on live animals, zone-tailed hawks are active predators. Therefore, some ornithologists believe that this mimicry tricks potential prey animals into not being alarmed when a zone-tail flies overhead.^[8] This hawk mainly preys on small birds and mammals (including bats,^[9] rats, mice, squirrels),^[10] but reptiles can be locally favored, including virtually any type of lizard, such as the common collared lizard, Yarrow's spiny lizard, the crevice spiny lizard, and the mesquite lizard.^[11]^[12] Among the rats preyed upon are the tawny-bellied cotton rat and the white-eared cotton rat.^[12] In the north, California quail, along with possibly other quail species, chipmunks, and other ground squirrels ^[11] seemed to be the favorite prey. Other birds preyed upon include red-shafted flickers, acorn woodpeckers, eared quetzals, Steller's jays, yellow-rumped caciques, tropical kingbirds, and even eastern screech owls.^[12] Zone-tails also eat various young birds, having been observed preying on nestlings and fledglings of species as varied as herons and passerines. Zone-tailed hawks snatch young birds from trees or the ground without landing. Second-hand reports of predation on frogs, other amphibians,^[10] and fishes may be cases of misidentification of common black-hawks. Zone-tailed hawks are very active foragers, hunting almost exclusively by transects and random quartering in low flight at around 10–30 m (33–98 ft) over the ground. When approaching the prey, the hawk may try to use obstructing cover such as trees until it is within 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) of the prey, an easy striking distance. Outside the breeding pair bond, these hawks are wholly solitary and are not known to hunt in pairs.^[7]

Related Research Articles

The common buzzard is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. It is a member of the genus Buteo in the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across much of the Palearctic as far as northwestern China, far western Siberia and northwestern Mongolia. Over much of its range, it is a year-round resident. However, buzzards from the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere as well as those that breed in the eastern part of their range typically migrate south for the northern winter, many journeying as far as South Africa.

Buteo is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in the New World. As both terms are ambiguous, buteo is sometimes used instead, for example, by the Peregrine Fund.

Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey.

The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Russia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter. It was traditionally also known as the rough-legged falcon in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.

The red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk", though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. The bird is sometimes also referred to as the red-tail for short, when the meaning is clear in context. Red-tailed hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within their range, occurring on the edges of non-ideal habitats such as dense forests and sandy deserts. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields, and urban areas. Its latitudinal limits fall around the tree line in the subarctic and it is absent from the high Arctic. Generally it favors varied habitats with open woodland, woodland edge and open terrain. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico, and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The ferruginous hawk is a large bird of prey and belongs to the broad-winged buteo hawks. An old colloquial name is ferrugineous rough-leg, due to its similarity to the closely related rough-legged hawk.

The broad-winged hawk is a medium-sized hawk of the genus Buteo. During the summer, some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the Neotropics from Mexico south to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year residents on Caribbean islands. As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Broad-winged hawks' wings are relatively short and broad with a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance. The two types of coloration are a dark morph with fewer white areas and a light morph that is more pale overall. Although the broad-winged hawk's numbers are relatively stable, populations are declining in some parts of its breeding range because of forest fragmentation.

The lizard buzzard or lizard hawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its name, it may be more closely related to the Accipiter hawks than the Buteo buzzards.

The long-legged buzzard is a bird of prey found widely in several parts of Eurasia and in North Africa. This species ranges from Southeastern Europe down to East Africa to the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The long-legged buzzard is a member of the genus Buteo, being one of the larger species therein. Despite being relatively powerful, it is considered a rather sluggish raptor overall. Like most buzzards, it prefers small mammals such as rodents, including gerbils, ground squirrels, voles and rats, also taking reptiles, birds and insects as well as carrion. Adaptable to a variety of habitats, long-legged buzzards may nest on a variety of surfaces, including rocks, cliffs and trees. it is a typical buzzard in its reproductive biology. The long-legged buzzard is widely distributed and appears to be quite stable in population. Therefore, it is considered as Least Concern by the IUCN.

The white-tailed hawk is a large bird of prey species found in tropical and subtropical environments of the Americas.

The grey-faced buzzard is an Asian bird of prey. It is typically 41–46 cm (16–18 in) in length, making it a small-sized raptor. It breeds in Manchuria, Korea and Japan; it winters in South-east Asia.

The jackal buzzard is a fairly large African bird of prey. The taxonomy of this species has caused some confusion in the past and it almost certainly belongs in a species complex with other African Buteo species. Some taxonomists have considered this species, the Archer's buzzard, and the augur buzzard to be the same superspecies. Many taxonomists consider them all to be distinct, having different calls, different home ranges and variations in plumage. This is a species that lives among mountains, and on adjacent savanna and grassland. It is resident and non-migratory throughout its range.

The augur buzzard is a fairly large African bird of prey. This species is distinct in typical adult plumage for its blackish back, whitish underside and orange-red tail, while juvenile augur buzzards are generally rather brown in colour; however a dark morph is known, which causes the bird's entire body to become darker. This member of the Buteo genus is distributed in several parts of the central and southern Africa, normally being found from Ethiopia to southern Angola and central Namibia. It is resident and non-migratory throughout its range. This is a species of mountains, and adjacent savannah and grassland. This is a typical buteonine raptor, being a generalist predator which tends to prefer small mammals supplemented by reptiles and birds among various prey items.

The variable hawk is a polymorphic species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

The common black hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and vultures.

The gray hawk or Mexican goshawk is a smallish raptor found in open country and forest edges. It is sometimes placed in the genus Asturina as Asturina plagiata. The species was split by the American Ornithological Society (AOU) from the gray-lined hawk. The gray hawk is found from Costa Rica north into the southwestern United States.

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References

↑ BirdLife International (2020). "Buteo albonotatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22695926A169006783. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22695926A169006783.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
↑ Gray, George Robert (1844). List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. Part I Accipitres. London: Printed by the order of the Trustees. p. 17.
1 2 Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 368.
↑ Kaup, Johann Jakob (1847). "Monographien der Genera der Falconidae". Isis von Oken (in German and Latin). 40. cols 325–386 [329].
↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ferguson-Lees, J.; Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.
↑ Clark, William S. (2004). "Is the zone-tailed hawk a mimic?". Birding. 36 (5): 495–498.
↑ Mikula, P.; Morelli, F.; Lučan, R. K.; Jones, D. N.; Tryjanowski, P. (2016). "Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective". Mammal Review. 46 (3): 160–174. doi:10.1111/mam.12060.
1 2 Buteo albonotatus (Zone-tailed Hawk)
1 2 "Buteo albonotatus (Zone-tailed hawk)". Animal Diversity Web .
1 2 3 "Zone-tailed Hawk | the Peregrine Fund".

External links

Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the Zone-tailed Hawk

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[iucn_status_11_November_2021-1] BirdLife International (2020). "Buteo albonotatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22695926A169006783. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22695926A169006783.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.

[2] Gray, George Robert (1844). List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. Part I Accipitres. London: Printed by the order of the Trustees. p. 17.

[mayr-3] 1 2 Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 368.

[4] Kaup, Johann Jakob (1847). "Monographien der Genera der Falconidae". Isis von Oken (in German and Latin). 40. cols 325–386 [329].

[5] Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

[ioc-6] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 19 September 2020.

[b1-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ferguson-Lees, J.; Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.

[8] Clark, William S. (2004). "Is the zone-tailed hawk a mimic?". Birding. 36 (5): 495–498.

[9] Mikula, P.; Morelli, F.; Lučan, R. K.; Jones, D. N.; Tryjanowski, P. (2016). "Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective". Mammal Review. 46 (3): 160–174. doi:10.1111/mam.12060.

[sta.uwi.edu-10] 1 2 Buteo albonotatus (Zone-tailed Hawk)

[animaldiversity.org-11] 1 2 "Buteo albonotatus (Zone-tailed hawk)". Animal Diversity Web .

[peregrinefund.org-12] 1 2 3 "Zone-tailed Hawk | the Peregrine Fund".

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