Zone-tailed Hawk

Buteo albonotatus

Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
GenusButeo (Buteos)
SpeciesButeo albonotatus (Zone-tailed Hawk)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Joshua Tree National Park

1 Verified sightings at Joshua Tree National Park From 2019 to 2026

2,646 Verified sightings across all 73 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park

Buteo jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Buteo lineatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Buteo regalis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Buteo swainsoni

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Accipiter striatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Circus cyaneus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Aquila chrysaetos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Cathartes aura

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Pandion haliaetus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 10 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
2	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
3	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
4	Cabo Pulmo National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
5	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
6	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
7	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
8	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
9	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
10	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
11	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
12	Cusuco National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
13	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
14	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	<5%
15	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
16	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
17	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
18	Chirripó National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
19	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
20	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
21	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
22	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
23	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
24	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
25	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
26	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
27	Chapada Diamantina National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
28	Henri Pittier National Park	🇻🇪 Venezuela	<5%
29	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
30	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
31	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
32	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
33	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
34	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
35	Masaya Volcano National Park	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	<5%
36	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
37	Chingaza National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
38	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
39	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
40	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
41	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
42	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
43	Volcán Barú National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
44	Tikal National Park	🇬🇹 Guatemala	<5%
45	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
46	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
47	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
48	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
49	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
50	Noel Kempff Mercado National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
51	Irazú Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
52	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
53	Celaque National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
54	Brownsberg Nature Park	🇸🇷 Suriname	Insufficient data
55	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
56	El Triunfo	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
57	Amboró National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
58	La Tigra National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
59	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
60	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
61	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	Insufficient data
62	Itatiaia National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
63	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
64	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
65	Podocarpus National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data
66	Madidi National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
67	Rincón de la Vieja National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
68	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
69	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
70	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
71	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data
72	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	Insufficient data
73	Los Quetzales National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data

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Zone-tailed Hawk

About the Zone-tailed Hawk

Recent sightings of Zone-tailed Hawk in Joshua Tree National Park

Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Hen Harrier

Golden Eagle

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found