- Medium-sized raptor (bird of prey)
- Black back and white head and tail
- Found in open areas, including deserts and grasslands, in the southwestern US and Mexico
- Nests in palm trees, typically in colonies
- Known for their distinctive, high-pitched screech call
- Feed primarily on small rodents and other small mammals, catching them in mid-air or snatching them from the ground
- Pellets primarily contain the remains of small rodents and other small mammals
- Pellets typically deposited beneath the nest or in the surrounding area