Zone-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk has no long-term trend on record.
About the Zone-tailed Hawk
The Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) is a North American member of the Hawks, Eagles & Kites (Accipitridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the birds of prey.
- Size
- 17.5–39.5 in long (45–100 cm) — a medium to large raptor (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open country, woodlands, cliffs and wetlands, hunting from the air or a high perch.
- Diet
- Live prey — small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and large insects (carrion for vultures).
- Range
- Recorded on 40 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 3 states, most concentrated in the Sierra Madre Occidental.
- Family
- Accipitridae · Birds of prey
Notable Zone-tailed Hawk Trends
No notable trend signals for Zone-tailed Hawk. See the full index history below.
Zone-tailed Hawk Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Zone-tailed Hawk is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.00). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±33.7%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Where the Zone-tailed Hawk Is Detected
BBS routes recording Zone-tailed Hawk, sized by most recent count.
Zone-tailed Hawk Population Trend by State
| Arizona | -25% | 1988 | 19 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Texas | -36% | 1995 | 15 |
Zone-tailed Hawk Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Edwards Plateau | -39% | 1995 | 8 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -39% | 1988 | 20 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -55% | 1999 | 9 |
Zone-tailed Hawk Conservation Status
Zone-tailed Hawk is tracked across BBS survey routes; no formal conservation-status flag is recorded here.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.