Zone-Tailed Hawk: Masterful Mimic
The Zone-Tailed Hawk is a large, dark raptor with a wide, but disjunct, range that barely reaches into the southwestern United States. It’s about the size of a Red-Tailed Hawk, but noticeably slimmer. Perched, this hawk appears blackish, but in flight, reveals finely-barred gray flight feathers that can appear silvery from a distance. Its tail has three light-colored bands, or zones, which give this bird its common name. Yellow legs and a yellow and gray bill round out the Zone-Tailed Hawk’s most noticeable ID features.
In flight, the Zone-Tailed … Continue