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Tucson Audubon Society Zone-tailed Hawk vs.
Turkey Vulture Our first target is a fairly easy pair, but challenging at long distance. In summer Zone-tailed Hawks are always a good find, but have to be distinguished from the much more common Turkey Vulture. At close range they are easily told apart, but when soaring at a distance, the following clues may help you to distinguish them. Zone-tails frequently fly near a group of TVs but not usually mixed in with them. Look above a small kettle of vultures for a separated bird. Both soar in a strong dihedral style (V shaped profile), and both occasionally show a quick teetering back and forth suggesting correction for a gust of wind. I feel that the dark trailing edge of the underwing of the Zone-tailed Hawk with its barred flight feathers is the field mark that I can best distinguish from the farthest, yet observable, distance. Of course, the black and white banded tail is next on the list, but this can be indistinct in poor light, and the extent of banding varies with sex and age. Adult males have one wide and one narrow white tail band; adult females have one wide and two narrow white tail bands. Juveniles have a silvery undertail with many narrow dark bands; the subterminal one (just before the tail tip) is wider. The Zone-tail Hawk also has a smaller bill, yellow cere (bare skin covering nostrils and base of bill) and larger, feathered head. So remember to check those TVs for Zone-tails; it’s how I saw my first one! [Another resource on zone-tailed hawks is an article in the June, 2000 issue of Birding magazine, published by the American Birding Association.] Bird questions? Check Birding | General questions? Contact: Tucson Audubon Society | Webmaster: Email This page was updated on 02/21/06 |