Open grasslands and savannahs where tall cacti, tree yuccas and taller pines and oaks grow in open stands. Uses old stick nests of hawks and other species which share the same range and habitat. Birds, small mammals, reptiles and insects caught in air or on ground. Two, three, and rarely four eggs. Both parents incubate.
Remainder is white including a strip above the eye.
Young begin to fly at about 30 days of age. Maximum age ranges from 15 to 30 years.