Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk, adult

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Broad-winged Hawk, immature

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A small, stocky, forest-dwelling hawk of eastern deciduous forests, the Broad-winged Hawk is hard to see on its nesting grounds. It becomes more conspicuous on migration when it congregates into flocks and passes by hawk migration lookouts in the thousands.

Description

• Medium-sized hawk.
• Body stout.
• Wings broad.
• Wings pale, with dark trailing edge.
• Tail medium-short.
• Tail dark with one thick white band in middle, and one thinner near tail base and tip.
• Face dark.
• Chest reddish, reddish barring along sides.
• Throat white.

• Size: 34-44 cm (13-17 in)
• Wingspan: 81-100 cm (32-39 in)
• Weight: 265-560 g (9.35-19.77 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike; female slightly larger.

Sound

Call a thin, high whistled "kee-eee."

Conservation Status

Populations stable or increasing.

Other Names

Petite Buse (French)
Busardo aliancho (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Broad-winged Hawk comes in two color phases: the common light phase and a rare dark phase. The dark form is entirely sooty brown with a tail like the light morph, and with whitish flight feathers contrasting with the dark wing linings. It is found primarily in the northwestern part of the range, and accounts for less than 0.1% of migrants observed.
• The Broad-winged Hawk completely leaves its breeding grounds in the fall and winter. Huge numbers of migrating broad-wings can be seen at hawk watches across the East. It usually migrates in large flocks or "kettles" that can range from a couple of individuals to thousands.

• A recent study attached satellite transmitters to the backs of four Broad-winged Hawks and followed them as they migrated south in the fall. The hawks migrated an average of 7,000 km (4,350 mi) to northern South America, and traveled an average of 111 km (69 mi) each day. Once at the wintering grounds, the hawks did not move around much, staying on average within 2.6 square km (1 square mi).

Sources used to construct this page:

1. Goodrich, L. J., S. C. Crocoll, and S. E. Senner. 1996. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus). In The Birds of North America, No. 218 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
2. Haines, A. M., M. J. McGrady, M. S. Martell, B. J. Dayton, M. B. Henke, and W. S. Seegar. 2003. Migration routes and wintering locations of Broad-winged Hawks tracked by satellite telemetry. Wilson Bulletin 115: 166-169.