Zone-tailed Hawk - Life History

Life History

The bird's flight feathers closely resembles those of the Turkey Vulture. Zone-tailed Hawks soar with their wings held in a dihedral position (pointing slightly upwards), rocking from side to side, a flight style that parallels that of Turkey Vultures. Bird guides caution against confusing them with the much more common Turkey Vulture, but at a reasonable distance one can distinguish them from vultures by their smaller size, the typical hawk shape of the wings and head, and the pale stripe on the tail. Since vultures frequently can be seen flying in numbers (groups are called "kettles"), Zone-tailed Hawks can mingle with them and are perhaps most often missed by the human eye in such kettles.

Turkey Vultures do not normally prey on live animals, but Zone-tailed Hawks are active predators. Therefore, some ornithologists believe that this mimicry tricks potential prey animals into not being alarmed when a zone-tail flies overhead (Clark 2004). This hawk mainly preys on small birds and mammals, but reptiles can be locally favored, including virtually any type of lizard. In the north, California Quail, along with possibly other quail species, and chipmunks seemed to be the favorite prey. Zone-tails also eat various young birds, having been observed preying on nestlings and fledgings of species as varied as herons and passerines. Zone-tailed Hawks snatch young birds from trees or the ground without landing. Second-hand reports of predation on frogs and fishes may be cases of misidentification of Common Black-Hawks. Zone-tailed Hawks are very active foragers, hunting almost exclusively by transects and random quartering in low flight at around 10–30 m (33–98 ft) over the ground. When approaching the prey, the hawk may try to use obstructing cover such as trees until it is within 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) of the prey, easy striking distance. Outside the breeding pair bond, these hawks are wholly solitary and are not known to hunt in pairs.