Zone-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed HawkZone-tailed HawkZone-tailed HawkZone-tailed Hawk

Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus

Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Rio de Janeiro

In 3 days <5%

13 Verified sightings at Rio de Janeiro
3,593 In all 53 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Zone-tailed Hawk

The zone-tailed hawk (Buteo albonotatus) is a medium-sized hawk of warm, dry parts of the Americas. It is somewhat similar in plumage and flight style to a common scavenger, the turkey vulture, and may benefit from being able to blend into groups of vultures. It feeds on small terrestrial tetrapods of all kinds.

In 1844, the English zoologist George Robert Gray, in his List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum, mentioned the zone-tailed hawk under the common name "white spotted buzzard" and coined the binomial name Buteo albonotatus. As Gray omitted a species description, his binomial name is considered nomen nudum, a naked name, and is not recognised. Instead, the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup is recognised as the authority as in 1847, he provided a brief description and used Gray's name Buteo albonotatus. The type locality is Mexico. The specific epithet albonotatus combines the Latin albus meaning "white" with notatus meaning "marked". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

The zone-tailed hawk is a fairly large but slender Buteo hawk. Grown birds are 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 in) in length with a... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:28

United States · 2024

© Matt Wistrand · XC915547 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:11

Ecuador · 2002

© John V. Moore · XC257373 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:44

United States · 2023

© Gregory Askew · XC793837 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
4 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
7 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
8 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
9 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
10 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
11 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
12 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
13 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
14 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
15 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
16 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
17 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
18 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
19 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
21 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
22 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
23 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
28 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
29 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
31 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
32 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
35 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
36 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
37 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
38 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
41 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
45 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
47 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
48 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
49 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
50 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
51 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
52 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
53 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
2 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
3 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
4 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
5 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
6 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
7 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%
8 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
9 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ecological Center of Sonora 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
2 Parque Municipal Summit 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity

Closest Relatives at Rio de Janeiro

Short-tailed Hawk
LC

Short-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo brachyurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-tailed Hawk
LC

White-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo albicaudatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Roadside Hawk
LC

Roadside Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rupornis magnirostris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Harris' Hawk
LC

Harris' Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Parabuteo unicinctus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Rufous-thighed Kite
LC

Rufous-thighed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Harpagus diodon

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-necked Hawk

White-necked Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucopternis lacernulatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Crane Hawk
LC

Crane Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Geranospiza caerulescens

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle
LC

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Geranoaetus melanoleucus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Hawk-Eagle
LC

Black Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizaetus tyrannus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Savanna Hawk
LC

Savanna Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteogallus meridionalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Sharp-shinned Hawk
LC

Sharp-shinned Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter striatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Vulture
LC

Black Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coragyps atratus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Zone-tailed Hawk in Rio de Janeiro?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Zone-tailed Hawk sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 224th most-seen of the 278 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Zone-tailed Hawk in Rio de Janeiro?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Zone-tailed Hawk in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Zone-tailed Hawk?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Zone-tailed Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Rio de Janeiro the best place to see a Zone-tailed Hawk?

Among the best

Of the 20 cities where we can rate Zone-tailed Hawk sightings, Rio de Janeiro ranks 16th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tegucigalpa (Honduras, under 5%), Caracas (Venezuela, under 5%) and Panama City (Panama, under 5%).

Where does the Zone-tailed Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Zone-tailed Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Rio de Janeiro (13 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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