Broad-winged Hawk

Identification

The broad-winged hawk is a relatively small member of the Buteo genus, measuring 32 to 44 cm in length with a wingspan ranging from 74 to 100 cm. As with most raptors, females are noticeably larger than males. The species is characterized by relatively short and broad wings with a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance that is unique among similar hawks. Adults typically display dark brown upperparts with a white breast and belly featuring horizontal barring, and a dark grey-black tail marked with white lines along the middle, base, and tip. Juveniles show more white plumage with longitudinal rather than horizontal barring. The species occurs in two color morphs: a light morph that is pale overall, and a rarer dark morph with reduced white areas. The light morph may be confused with the red-shouldered hawk, which has a longer, more heavily barred tail and distinctive rufous coloring in the wings.

Range & Habitat

Broad-winged hawks are distributed across a vast range spanning from southern Canada through North America and into South America as far south as southern Brazil. Migratory subspecies breed in the northern and eastern parts of North America, including areas as far west as British Columbia and Texas, before migrating south to winter in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Five Caribbean subspecies are year-round residents on islands including Puerto Rico, Cuba, Antigua, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, and the Lesser Antilles. These hawks favor deciduous forests for breeding and nesting, foraging primarily in wetlands and meadows, and can be found at elevations up to around 2,000 meters. In winter, migratory birds seek similar forest conditions in their tropical wintering grounds.

Behaviour & Diet

Broad-winged hawks are highly vocal raptors, communicating with mates and offspring through a distinctive high-pitched kee-ee call that sounds almost like a whistle. They use these vocalizations in territorial displays against intruders and emit stuttered, squealing alarm calls when threatened. Fledglings learn to vocalize by around one month of age. As carnivores, their diet varies seasonally based on prey availability and includes insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals ranging from mice to rabbits, and birds up to the size of grouse. During breeding season, parents and chicks favor small animals such as chipmunks, shrews, voles, frogs, and lizards, and will also take nesting birds like cardinals or sick and injured birds. In winter, they supplement their diet with insects including grasshoppers, dragonflies, and moth caterpillars.

Best Time & Places to See It

For observers in North America, the best opportunity to witness broad-winged hawks is during their dramatic fall migration, when enormous flocks known as "kettles" soar together using thermals. These migration spectacles are characteristic of several famous hawk-watching locations including Hawk Cliff in Ontario, Hawk Ridge in Minnesota, Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, and the River of Raptors in Veracruz. Migrating flocks may number more than 40 individuals up to several thousand birds, soaring at heights between 550 and 1,300 meters. Fall migration lasts approximately 70 days as birds travel roughly 100 kilometers per day from North America through Central America to South America. For year-round viewing, the Caribbean subspecies can be found on their respective island homes, including Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Lesser Antilles.

Photography Tips

Photographing broad-winged hawks during migration offers spectacular opportunities to capture large flocks in thermal updrafts, particularly at established hawk-watching sites during fall migration season. The distinctive silhouette created by their relatively short, broad, tapered wings is characteristic and useful for identification in flight photography. Photographers should note the differences between light and dark morphs, and the subtle but important field marks including the white-barred tail and chest barring visible in good light. Patience at migration hotspots during peak migration periods will reward photographers with dramatic images of kettles wheeling overhead, while stationary individuals in deciduous forests during breeding season offer opportunities for detailed plumage study and behavioral documentation.