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Scientific name:
Buteo albonotatus |
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Family name:
Accipitridae |
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Are they endangered?
No, they are not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red list:
Least concern) Even though the number of these birds
makes them not endangered worldwide, they are threatened
in countries like the United States. (Texas)
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What are their
past/present problems?
Losing their nesting areas when people build homes or
buildings around them, having trees cut down in which
they have nests, and eating prey that have been killed
by pesticides are problems for Zone-tailed Hawks. |
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What do they look
like?
They are black with a black tail that has 2 white
stripes. Their legs are yellow. |
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How big are they?
These birds are about 19 inches long. If they spread
their wings out, they would be about 4 feet wide. |
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How many eggs do they
lay?
The female lays 2 white eggs that sometimes have blue
dots on them. The eggs hatch in 35 days. |
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How long do the
fledglings stay in the nest?
They build stick nests in trees. The young birds
(fledglings) leave the nest in about 5 weeks. |
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When do they hunt?
They hunt during the day. (diurnal) |
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What do they eat?
They eat MICE, small birds including their babies, lizards,
fish, and frogs. |
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Where do they live?
Zone-tailed Hawks live in Canada, the United States, Mexico,
Central America, and some countries in South America. |
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What kind of place do
they like to live in?
They like to live in deserts and wooded areas. They like to
live in trees by water. |
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Interesting facts:
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Zone-tailed Hawks grab their prey with their talons. |
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They look and fly like Turkey Vultures. Some sources
said that they fly with vultures so that they can sneak
up on prey that wouldn’t be afraid of vultures. That
sounds tricky to us! |
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They will attack larger birds and people if they think
there is danger to their nest. |
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