We usually say "What do you call it?" or "What is it called?" (If you're pointing out something specific, you can ask, "What is this called?" or "What do you call this?")
You can hail a taxi if you standing near the street and you see a taxi passing by. You "hail" the taxi by waving or making some gesture to let the driver know that you want to get a ride.
We usually only say "call a taxi" if you are using a phone to call and request a taxi to come to your location. In many places in the US, there are no taxis driving around looking for passengers, so if you want a taxi to pick you up, you will need to call a taxi company and tell them your location, and then a driver will come to you.