Buteo albicaudatus
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The white-tailed hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) is a large bird of prey species found in tropical and subtropical environments of the Americas. The white-tailed hawk is found from the coastal of Texas and the Rio Grande Valley south to central Argentina. Its range also includes many Caribbean islands in the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad and Tobago. It prefers open or semi-open regions up to 2,000 ft (c. 600 m) ASL, with few trees to obstruct flight. It is not a migratory bird, though some populations may make regional movements when food is scarce. It commonly perches on bushes, trees, or telephone poles, stands on the ground, or engages in soar. Generally, it prefers arid habitats and rarely occurs in areas with heavy rainfall.
Though it may disappear from unsuitable locations following habitat fragmentation, it has a wide range and is not considered to be a globally threatened species by the IUCN. The white-tailed hawk is a large, stocky hawk. It is similar in size to Swainson's (Buteo swainsoni) and red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), with mean measurements slightly larger than the former and slightly smaller than the latter. It... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 9 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 11 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 12 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 13 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 14 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 17 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 18 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 19 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 20 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 21 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 22 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Niterói | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 8 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jardín Botánico y Zoológico de Asunción | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 2 | Zoológico de Brasília | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | São Paulo Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Joya Grande | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara (BICA) | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 7 | Simba Safari | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Zoobotânico de São José do Rio Preto | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 11 | Bioparque Los Ocarros | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 12 | Mangal das Garças | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | Ecozoológico San Martín | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 14 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 15 | Parque dos Falcões | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 16 | Texas State Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Hawk sighting in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 193rd most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Hawk in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-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.
15th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate White-tailed Hawk sightings, Palo Verde National Park ranks 15th at under 5%. The best odds are in Emas National Park (Brazil, about 60%), Serra da Canastra National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and Padre Island National Seashore (United States, about 30%).
Same genus: Buteo
The closest relatives of the White-tailed Hawk that you can see in Palo Verde National Park (genus Buteo, Buteos) are Gray-lined Hawk (about 10%), Zone-tailed Hawk (about 10%) and Broad-winged Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-tailed Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Palo Verde National Park (21 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
