Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus Kaup, 1847

Zone-tailed Hawk, Buteo albonotatus, breeds from the south-western USA through Middle America into South America as far as Paraguay. It is a hawk of warm, dry country across this wide range, and it is also found in a variety of other habitats, from forests and canyonland to scrub, marsh and ranchland, provided there are tree thickets for nesting. The bird is notable for its close resemblance in plumage and flight to the turkey vulture, which can help it pass among vultures. It is a medium-sized, slender hawk with a breeding range first described by Kaup in 1847.

Order

Accipitriformes

Family

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Breeding range

North America, Middle America, South America: sw USA to Paraguay