The White-tailed Hawk hunts from both a perch and while in the air. Hunting from a perch begins approximately one hour after sunrise and continues as late as sunset. Hunting from the air usually occurs in the late afternoon. Kiting, and hovering, occur interchangeably at heights of 161 to 333 feet (50 to 100 meters). Feet are used to catch prey and consumption of prey begins with the cranial region. Prey delivered to nestlings invariably are missing the head, and occasionally, the neck and upper torso.
White-tailed Hawks are monogamous. In the northern hemisphere the breeding season begins as early as December, when pairs begin spending more time within the confines of their eventual breeding territory. Egg-laying may not commence for another three months. A period of four to five weeks of nest-building precedes egg-laying.
Copulation often precedes or immediately follows territorial flight displays. These displays are usually performed by the male, but have also been observed by the female or both simultaneously. It is hypothesized that intruders stimulate copulation, but the behavioral mechanism is unknown. In a territorial defence, the male typically launches off a perch and flies low to the ground 3.2 to 6.5 feet (1 to 2 meters) with strong, steady wingbeats directly toward the intruder; it then abruptly swoops upward (slowing the rate of flapping) to a height of 65 to 97 feet (20 to 30 meters) whereupon the bird will circle back to the perch if the intruder remains motionless, or give chase if the intruder flees. Over solicitation of copulation by the female is not apparent.
During the nesting and pre-egglaying stages, a display of grass-pulling by the male has been observed. Adults fly within 968 feet (300 meters) of the eventual nest site and land on the ground within 16 feet (5 meters) of one another, whereupon the male will bend over and tug at (but not remove) grass and forbs. After several minutes both will fly to separate perches.
Nests are often furnished with an unusually long stem or branch. One adult was observed to fly for over 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) to bring a long stick to the nest. Grass, twigs, leaves, and cow dung have all been observed to be placed on top of the eggs.
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Hunts small mammals when soaring
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