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Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus ORDER: ACCIPITRIFORMES FAMILY: ACCIPITRIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A dark, tropical hawk, the Zone-tailed Hawk just reaches the southwestern United States in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

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Appearance

Hawks
Hawks
Typical Voice

Adult Description

Medium-sized to large hawk. Slaty black overall. Tail with two or three light bands. Underwings two-toned, with dark linings and paler flight feathers. Legs and skin on face yellow. Wings held up in slight V when soaring.

Immature Description

Juvenile slightly darker and more brownish than adult; often with white spotting on underparts and around head; tail with many narrow, blackish bands.

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Field MarksHelp

  • Adult
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    Zone-tailed Hawk

    Adult
    • © 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Arizona

Similar Species

  • Turkey Vulture is very similar in flight, but lacks bands on tail and wing feathers, and has bare red head.
  • Common Black-Hawk much more robust, with a shorter tail with one large white band.