White-tailed Hawk

Buteo albicaudatus

Order FALCONIFORMES - Family ACCIPITRIDAE - Subfamily Accipitrinae

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Reproduction
8. Conservation Status
9. Other Names

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.

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.

Description

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

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

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, female larger.

Immature

Juvenile dark brown on upperparts and head. Chest and belly mostly dark. Variable light patch on upper chest. Tail pale gray with numerous fine, indistinct bars; may have dark band near tip.

Similar Species

• Ferruginous Hawk also has whitish tail, but lacks dark band and dark inner primaries.

Sound

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

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident from coastal Texas southward to southern South America.

Habitat

Open country, primarily savanna, prairie and arid habitats of mesquite, cacti and bushes, very rarely in open forest.

Reproduction

Clutch Size

Usually 2 eggs. Range: 1-4.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless and covered in down.

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)

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.