White-tailed Hawk

The White-tailed Hawk is a large, long-winged buteo of open grassland country, with a pale gray head and back, a rufous shoulder patch, and clean white underparts. As its name suggests, the tail is white with a single black band near the tip, visible in flight and while perched. Immature birds are much darker and take several years to reach full adult plumage.

In the United States this species reaches its northern limit along the coastal prairies of south Texas, where it is a conspicuous, broad-winged presence soaring over open range country.

Key Field Marks

• Pale gray head and upper back with a rufous patch on the shoulder (lesser coverts)
• Clean white underparts and white tail crossed by a single black band near the tip
• Long, broad wings held flat while soaring
• Often seen perched on isolated trees, poles, or fence posts overlooking open grassland

Similar Species

• Swainson's Hawk: lacks the rufous shoulder patch and white tail band, showing instead a dark breast band and different tail pattern.
• Ferruginous Hawk: larger with rusty leggings and a pale tail lacking a sharp black band, and found in drier western rangeland rather than Gulf Coast prairie.

Range

In the United States, White-tailed Hawks are resident along the coastal prairies of south Texas, with the broader range extending through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America.

Habitat

They favor open coastal prairie, savanna, and grassland with scattered trees or utility poles for perching, and are notably drawn to recently burned or grazed areas where prey becomes easier to spot and catch.

Feeding at Fires

White-tailed Hawks are well known for gathering, sometimes in numbers, at grassland fires, where they hunt insects, reptiles, and small mammals flushed or exposed by the flames and smoke.

Voice

The call is a harsh, barking series of notes, given during territorial or courtship displays, including dramatic aerial displays where pairs may lock talons.

Nesting

Nests are bulky stick structures built in isolated trees or large shrubs overlooking open prairie. Clutches typically contain one to three eggs.