Buteo albonotatus
By: Nat. Eduardo Villegas
The Zone – tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) is a species in the bird family Accipitridae that lives from the southern United States to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil.
In both sexes the plumage is almost all black except for the last feathers under the wings; Young specimens have a lighter color.
It feeds on bird chicks, small mammals, and reptiles. It nests in tall trees, where it builds a platform made of sticks and reeds. The female lays 2 white eggs.
They are valued as indicators of environmental quality due to their sensitivity to human disturbances.
Both its plumage and its behavior in flight are like that of the Aura Vulture (Cathartes aura), which confuses its prey and the occasional inexperienced birder or photographer, so come to the botanical garden and try to identify it when it flies by in the area.
