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White-tailed Hawk

Buteo albicaudatusOrder: FALCONIFORMESFamily: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

White-tailed Hawk Portrait
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General

White-tailed Hawk: Large hawk with dark gray upperparts and head, distinct brown wash on shoulders and back, and white rump. Breast is white; belly and undertail are white with inconspicuous, fine bars. Wings are dark gray above and paler below. Tail is white with broad black band near tip. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is dark overall with pale gray tail. Wings are held in a V when soaring.

Range and Habitat

White-tailed Hawk: Ranges from south Texas to central Argentina; also occurs on some southern Caribbean islands. Preferred habitats include open, semi-open or thinly forested country.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ke"

Interesting Facts

 The White-tailed Hawk has the widest latitudinal distribution (29°N to 44°S) of any Buteo and has successfully colonized several Caribbean islands.

 Its white tail with a black band near the tip is unique amongst North American hawks.

 Unlike most Buteo hawks, the wing feathers of a perched adult extend noticeably beyond the tail. A juvenile bird has a tail up to 15% longer than an adult, and its wing feathers barely surpass the tip of its tail.

 A group of hawks has many collective nouns, including a "boil", "knot", "spiraling", "stream", and "tower" of hawks.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for White-tailed Hawk
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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.
Family Hawk (Accipitridae)_blue
Species Buteo albicaudatus
Length20 - 22 Inches
Wingspan48 Inches

White-tailed Hawk

White-tailed Hawk: Large hawk, dark gray upperparts and head, distinct brown wash on shoulders and back, and white rump. Breast is white; belly and undertail are white with inconspicuous, fine bars. Wings are dark gray above, paler below. Tail is white, broad black band near tip. Yellow legs, feet.

● Song: "ke"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-tailed Hawk: Feeds on rabbits, cotton rats, snakes, lizards, frogs, grasshoppers, cicadas, and beetles, and occasionally quail or other birds.

● Breeding & nesting: White-tailed Hawk: One to four white eggs, sometimes with brown spots, are laid in large nest made of freshly broken twigs mixed with bunches of dry grass and lined with finer plant material. Nest is usually 5 to 15 feet above ground. Both parents incubate the eggs for about 31 days. Young fly at 54 to 57 days old.

● Similar species: White-tailed Hawk: Swainson’s Hawk has dark barred tail, breast band, and rounded wings.

Flight Pattern

Alternates series of powerful deep wing beats with long glides.
White-tailed Hawk Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: White-tailed Hawk: Ranges from south Texas to central Argentina; also occurs on some southern Caribbean islands. Preferred habitats include open, semi-open or thinly forested country.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationYes but uncommon
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight30.4 Ounces