Zone-tailed Hawk

Table

Zone-tailed Hawk – Accepted
1. 23 Feb 1862	ASY %	vic. Rancho Bernardo SD	1990-026	14	ph., MVZ 4375
2. 26 Nov 1906	HY &	National City SD	2005-045	14,30	ph., MCZ 316491, one of three reportedly shot in 1905/1906
3. 10 Sep 1907	HY &	vic. Escondido SD	1990-027	14	ph., MVZ 5494
4. 20–21 Dec 1916	AHY	San Diego SD	1993-055	17	ph., SDNHM life mount
5. 10 Oct 1932	HY %	Chula Vista SD	1988-106	14	ph., SDNHM 16137
6. Apr or May 1945		Chula Vista SD	2004-028	14,29	ph., life mount at SCMNH
7. 10 May 1970	ASY	Morongo Valley SBE	1980-084	6
8. 27–28 Aug 1972	ASY	Big Pine INY	1972-094	1	ph.
9. 19–20 Sep 1973	HY	Pt. Loma SD	1974-004	3
10. 13–20 Sep 1974	AHY	Pt. Loma SD	1976-066	3
11. 18–19 Sep 1975	HY	Tijuana R. valley SD	1976-021	3
12. 18 Oct 1975	HY	Lake Forest ORA	1976-068/ 1999-178	3,24
13. 22 May 1976	SY	Ft. Piute SBE	1976-067	3
14. 11 Sep 1977	HY	Tijuana R. valley SD	1977-102	4
15. 21–22 Apr 1978	ASY	Morongo Valley SBE	1980-050	6
16. 17 Jun 1978	ASY	Ft. Piute SBE	1980-146/ 1987-196	6,14
17. 13 Jan 1979	ASY	Whelan Lake SD	1979-040	7
and 01–29 Feb 1980		Vista/Bonsall/Guajome Reg. Park SD	1987-325	14
and 29 Oct 1982–27 Feb 1983			1983-005	9,14
and 10 Dec 1983–14 Feb 1984			1983-135	9,14	ph., Roberson (1986:59)
and 19 Oct 1984–01 Jan 1985			1984-279	10,14
and 21–27 Feb 1986	*		2004-601	14,30
and 13–25 Sep 1986			1987-035	14
and 07 Jan–03 Mar 1987			1988-108	14
18-19. 07 Jul–early Aug 1979	%&	Santa Rosa Mtn. RIV	1980-033	6	ph., AB 33:897, Roberson (1980); nesting
20-21. and 21 Jun–? Jul 1980	%&		1980-033	6	nesting; two young died pre-fledging
and 13–21 Jun 1981	%&		1981-069	6	nesting
and 19 Jun–17 Jul 1982	ASY		1982-059	6	one bird
22. 03 Sep 1979	AHY	Poway SD	1987-336	14
23. 17–19 Sep 1981	HY	Tijuana R. valley SD	1981-077	7	ph.
24. 23 Apr 1982	ASY	Corn Spring RIV	1982-070	8
25. early Dec 1982–08 Jan 1983	AHY	Fallbrook SD	1984-027	9
26. 26 Feb–07 Mar 1983	ASY	Mt. Palomar SD	1987-359	14
27. 31 May 1983	ASY	Furnace Creek Ranch INY	1984-092	9
28. 25 Feb 1984	SY	Lake Henshaw SD	1984-071	12
29. 02 May 1984	ASY	Morongo Valley SBE	1984-093	9
30. 09–27 Jun 1984	ASY	Vista SD	1987-309	14	treated as the same bird involved in
					table entry 17 by Unitt (2004)
31. 03 Sep 1984	AHY	Cuyamaca State Park SD	1986-260	12
32. 22 Dec 1985–17 Jan 1986	AHY	Plano Trabuco/O’Neill Reg. Pk. ORA	1986-017	11	AB 40:334
and 28 Nov–07 Dec 1986			1987-442	12
and 30 Jan–03 Feb 1988			1988-090	13
33-35. 06 Jul–10 Aug 1986	%&, HY	Hot Springs Mtn. SD	1986-332	12	nesting pair fledged one young
36. and 13 Jun–07 Jul 1987	%&, HY		1987-162	12	nesting again; young in nest
and 04 Jul 1988+	%&		1988-135	13
and summer 1989	%& *		2004-528	30
and 05–20 May 1990	ASY		1990-092	15
and 26 Jun 1993	ASY		1993-143	19
37. 22–30 Oct 1988	AHY	Laguna Beach ORA	1989-070	13
38. 30 Dec 1989	AHY	Escondido SD	1990-084	15
and 19 Dec 1990–12 Mar 1991			1991-026	16	ph.
and 12 Jan 1992	ASY	San Pasqual Valley SD	1992-126	18
39. 22 Dec 1990	AHY	Oceanside SD	1991-002	19
40. 22 Dec 1990	AHY	San Marcos SD	1991-107	16
and 21–24 Dec 1991		Lake San Marcos SD	1992-180	17
41. 30 Jan–18 Mar 1991	SY	Escondido SD	1991-025	16
42. 02–03 Nov 1991	AHY	Santee SD	1992-034A	19
and 14 Dec 1992		Murray Reservoir SD	1993-078	18
and 29 Jan–05 Feb 1993		Santee SD	1993-079	18
and 06 Nov 1993–09 Feb 1994			1994-033	19
and 01–26 Feb 1995			1995-032	21
43. 15 Jan–03 Feb 1992	SY	Santee SD	1992-34B	19
44. 11 Jan 1993	ASY	Dana Point ORA	1993-039	19
45. 11 Apr 1993	ASY	Furnace Creek Ranch INY	1993-106	19
46. 25 Apr 1993	ASY	Malibu Creek State Park LA	1993-072	19
47. 15 Aug 1993–mid Jan 1994	AHY	Laguna Beach ORA	1993-135	19	ph., Erickson & Terrill (1996)
48. 06 Sep 1993	AHY	Ojai VEN	1993-194	19
and 28 Feb–08 Mar 1994			1994-071	19	ph., FN 48:247
and 28 Aug 1994–17 Feb 1995	*		2004-529	30
and 26 Nov 1995–16 Mar 1996			1996-042	22
and 07 Nov–03 Dec 1997			1997-183	23
49. 13 Nov–19 Dec 1993	AHY	Lake Forest ORA	1994-035	19
and 17 Dec 1994–22 Jan 1995		Laguna Hills ORA	1995-017	20	ph.
50. 26 Nov 1993	AHY	Irvine Regional Park ORA	1993-182	19
and 08 Nov 1995			1995-118	21
51. 18 Dec 1993–25 Jan 1994	AHY	Mission Viejo ORA	1994-008	19
52. 28 Dec 1993–10 Jan 1994	AHY	Santa Barbara SBA	1994-010	19	ph.
and 24 Aug 1994–15 Jan 1995		Goleta/Santa Barbara SBA	1994-128	20	ph.
and 22 Sep 1995–25 Mar 1996			1996-045	22
and 24 Oct 1996–22 Mar 1997			1996-147	22
and 29 Sep 1997–14 Mar 1998			1997-177	23
and 21 Oct 1998–24 Mar 1999			1998-206	24
53. 25 Apr 1994	ASY	Valyermo LA	1994-083	20
54. 30 Apr 1994	ASY	Santiago Oaks Regional Park ORA	1994-115	22
55. 26 May 1994	ASY	California City KER	1994-098	20
56. 12 Sep 1994	HY	Hicks Canyon ORA	1994-171	20
57. 03 Oct 1994	AHY	vic. Weldon KER	1995-024	22
58. 19 Nov 1994	HY	Escondido SD	1994-175	20
and 28 Sep 1997–16 Apr 1998		San Pasqual Valley SD	1997-186	23
and 19 Nov–24 Dec 1998			1999-024	24
59. 17 Dec 1994–08 Mar 1995		Ventura VEN	1995-049	23
60. 10 Jan 1996	SY	Santee SD	1997-010	22	ph., one of four reported in area
61. 16 Sep 1996	HY	Hermosa Beach LA	1997-011	22
62. 04 Dec 1996–22 Feb 1997	HY	El Centro IMP	1996-148	22	ph.
63. 17 Feb 1997	ASY	Pine Valley SD	1997-063	23
64. 24–25 May 1997	SY	Furnace Creek Ranch INY	1997-096	23	ph., FN 51:927
65. 14 Oct 1997	AHY	San Luis Obispo SLO	1998-030	23
66. 20 Dec 1997	AHY	Mission Viejo ORA	1998-058	23
67. 13 Jun 1998	ASY	vic. Lake Henshaw SD	1999-039	24
68. 19 Nov–24 Dec 1998	AHY	San Pasqual Valley SD	1999-024	24
Zone-tailed Hawk – Not accepted, identification not established
24 Apr 1960		Finney Lake IMP	1988-093	16
14 May 1960		Cottonwood Spring RIV	1988-094	14
07 Nov 1975		Pt. Fermin LA	1976-065	3	14 Nov 1975 in AB 30:126
10 Oct 1977		Cuyamaca State Park SD	1978-073	6
08 Sep 1979		Watsonville SCZ	1979-052	5
08 Jul 1984		Mt. Palomar SD	1987-312	14
20 Oct 1984		Torrance LA	1985-024	12
10 Nov 1985		Big Pine INY	1986-086	11
05 Nov 1991		Salton Sea NWR IMP	1992-035	17
31 Dec 1991		vic. Brawley IMP	1992-125	17
04 Nov 1992		Santee SD	1993-056	20
17 Dec 1992		Irvine Regional Park ORA	1993-122	18
08 May 1993		Butterbredt Springs KER	1994-017	19
16 May 1993		Ft. Piute SBE	1993-107	19
23 Aug 1993		Carlsbad SD	1994-034	20
09 May 1994		Wilmington LA	1994-169	20	ph.
23 Oct 1994		Los Angeles LA	1994-203	23
21 Dec 1996		Lake Casitas VEN	1997-084	23
20 Nov 1997		Carlsbad SD	1998-031	24
30 Aug 1998		vic. Onyx Summit SBE	1998-124	24
Zone-tailed Hawk – Not submitted
1905/1906	2	National City SD			both shot, cf. table entry 2, Linton (1907, 1908)
11 Jan 1934		Furnace Creek Ranch INY		14	Gilman (1935), Grinnell & Miller (1944)
22 Dec 1974		northeastern ORA			AB 29:573
13 Jan 1978		Oceanside SD		14	AB 32:399, see table entry 17
20 Sep 1980		Pt. Loma SD		14	AB 35:226
10 Jan 1981		Corte Madera Lake SD		14	AB 35:335
05 Feb 1984		Fallbrook SD			AB 38:357, see table entry 25
and 18 Jan 1986					AB 40:334
24 Sep 1987		Valley Center SD			AB 42:135
12 Dec 1989		Plano Trabuco ORA			AB 44:328, see table entry 32
09 Sep 1990		La Jolla SD			AB 45:151
05 May 1991	%&	Hot Springs Mtn. SD			Unitt (2004), see table entries 33-35
and 16 May 1992	%&				AB 46:480
12 Jan 1992		Escondido SD			AB 46:314, see table entry 41
mid Aug 1994		San Juan Capistrano ORA			FN 49:100
17 Dec 1994–24 Feb 1995		Mission Viejo ORA			FN 49:196, see table entry 51
08 Oct 1994		Orange ORA			FN 49:100
12 Nov 1994		Upper Newport Bay ORA			FN 49:100
18 Dec 1994		O’Neill Regional Park ORA			FN 49:196, 814
08–09 Feb 1995		Ramona SD			FN 49:196
08–27 Mar 1995		Escondido SD			FN 49:309, see table entry 58
and 23 Oct 1996					FN 51:120
10 Mar 1995		Santa Paula VEN			FN 49:196
03–08 Nov 1995		Irvine Regional Park ORA			FN 50:114
16 Dec 1995		Butterbredt Spring KER			FN 50:816, “unconvincing details”
winter 1995/1996	3	coastal SD			FN 50:222, see table entry 60
06–09 Mar 1996		Jamul SD			FN 50:332
12 Oct–21 Dec 1996		Ojai VEN			FN 51:120, 801; see table entry 48
20 Oct 1996		Orange ORA			FN 51:120
20 Oct 1996		Irvine ORA			FN 51:120
22 Dec 1996		Tustin ORA			FN 51:801
23 Feb 1997		San Diego SD			FN 51:801
12 Jul 1997		Escondido SD			FN 51:1053
14 Sep 1997		Mira Mesa SD			FN 52:125
28 May 1998		Irvine ORA			FN 52:390

Figures

Figure 100. Distribution of 68 Zone-tailed Hawks accepted through 1998, showing concentration along the southern coastal slope, particularly in San Diego County. Since 2001, five birds have been found along the central coast in Monterey and Marin Counties.

Figure 101. Zone-tailed Hawks are very rarely found in California’s southern desert, but this adult female—aged and sexed by the four white bands and wide black terminal band—was photographed on 9 December 2001 at El Centro, Imperial County (Kenneth Z. Kurland).

Zone-tailed Hawk

ZONE-TAILED HAWK Buteo albonotatus Gray, 1844

Accepted: 68 (77%)	Treated in Appendix H: no
Not accepted: 20	CBRC review: records through 1998
Not submitted/reviewed: 35	Color image: none

This hawk is resident in South and Middle America, with partially migratory populations in northern Baja California and the Southwest, including western and central Texas, northwestern Arizona to southwestern and possibly north-central New Mexico, and possibly to southern Nevada. Most extralimital records come from near the edges of the range, although the species has reached southern Florida and, even more astoundingly, Nova Scotia (see McLaren and Macinnis 1977)!

California’s first Zone-tailed Hawk was an adult collected on 23 February 1862 roughly 20 miles north of San Diego, San Diego County (Grinnell 1909a). Only five more records accumulated in the state over the next century, but increases in both observer coverage and knowledge of buteo identification criteria led to annual reports of this species from 1972 through the present time, and to the species’ removal from the CBRC review list in 1998. Many records involve birds returning for multiple years, both as winter visitors and as breeders. An adult has returned annually to Goleta/Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, from 1993/1994 through at least 2006/2007 (fide Guy Tingos).

A few birds are found each year in southern coastal counties (Figure 100), chiefly between mid September and the end of March, with some later records that may pertain to spring migrants; several records involve fall migrants. In the interior, this hawk occurs most frequently in spring; for example, the Mojave Desert claims 13 records between 11 April and 17 June. Only two have been found inland in fall: Big Pine, Inyo County, 27–28 August 1972, and near Weldon, Kern County, 3 October 1994. Multiple birds in the Imperial Valley beginning in 1996/1997 (e.g., Patten et al. 2003) are the only ones known to have wintered in the desert.

At least two pairs have attempted to nest in California. The first known effort took place in the upper reaches of Deep Canyon on Santa Rosa Mtn., Riverside County, with nests in 1979, 1980, and 1981 and adults observed in the area during the summer of 1982. They produced two young in 1980 that died before fledging. Another pair frequented Hot Springs Mtn., San Diego County, during summers from 1986 to 1993. These birds attempted nesting several times with unknown results.

Coastal records have extended farther north since CBRC review ended in 1998: Bolinas, Marin County, 7 May 2001 (adult; NAB 55:352); mouth of the Big Sur River, Monterey County, 10 May 2001 (adult “migrating north” with Turkey Vultures; Roberson 2002); Carmel Valley, Monterey County, 3 November 2002–8 July 2003 (adult male; NAB 57:113, 399, 541); Pt. Reyes, Marin County, 11 April 2003 (NAB 57:399); and Prunedale, Monterey County, 18 November 2005 (NAB 60 135).

Dunne et al. (2000) and Wheeler (2003) capably addressed the identification of Zone-tailed Hawks.