White-tailed Hawk

White-tailed Hawk, adult; Texas

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White-tailed Hawk, juvenile (1st year); Texas

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A stocky hawk of open to sparsely wooded, arid regions, the White-tailed Hawk is found from southern Texas to South America. Its white tail with a black band near the tip is unique amongst North American hawks.

Description

Medium-sized to large hawk. Gray head and back. White underside. Rufous patch on shoulder. Tail white with black band near tip.

• Size: 46-58 cm (18-23 in)
• Wingspan: 132 cm (52 in)
• Weight: 880-1235 g (31.06-43.6 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, female larger.

Sound

Call a high, raspy "ke-he, ke-he, ke-he."

Conservation Status

Population in Texas seems to be stable or increasing.

Other Names

Buse à queue blanche (French)
Gavilán coliblanco, Gavilán tejé, Aguilucho cabecinegro (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Unlike most Buteo hawks, the wing feathers of a perched adult White-tailed Hawk 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.

• Occupying discontinuous breeding areas from southern Texas to Argentina, the White-tailed Hawk claims the widest latitudinal distribution (29°N to 44°S) of any Buteo and has successfully colonized several Caribbean islands.

Sources used to construct this page:

Farquhar, C. C. 1992. White-tailed Hawk (Buteo albicaudatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 30. (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists? Union.