Naturalist Notes: Zone-tailed Hawk

Lately I have been seeing quite a number of Zone-tailed hawks as I walk throughout Arima and Malabar. This species of raptor (bird of prey) is mainly black and is sometimes confused with the Turkey Vulture, because they share several similarities.

They both have a dihedral shape when they fly, which simply means they hold their wings above their bodies in a V formation. When viewing both in flight, the underpart of the wings are two toned in color, the upper half darker than the lower half. In addition, they are both unsteady flyers, rocking back and forth.

The main distinguishing feature I use in identifying them is their tail, the Zone-tailed has at least 2 white stripes on the tail, also the edge looks like it has been clipped with scissors — it appears almost squared, as opposed to the Turkey Vulture's tail which lacks the white stripes and is rounded at the edge.

A major difference between both birds is their diet, the Zone-tailed feeds live prey like mammals and birds, while the Turkey Vulture feeds on carrion.  It is also smaller in size than the Turkey Vulture. Once you are close enough to the Turkey Vulture you should be able to see their red featherless head, whereas the Zone-tailed head is covered with feathers.

An interesting fact is that sometimes you can find a Zone-tailed hawk flying amongst a group of Turkey Vultures, it is believe they do this to capture unsuspecting prey! So next time you see a Turkey Vulture look closer it might just be a Zone-tailed hawk.

© Denise Etienne