Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

The Broad-winged Hawk is a small, compact buteo of eastern North American forests, best known for its spectacular mass migrations, when thousands of individuals form swirling flocks called 'kettles' as they ride thermals south for the winter. Outside of migration, it is a relatively secretive forest-dwelling hawk.

Its short, broad wings and boldly banded tail distinguish it from larger, more open-country buteos, reflecting its habit of hunting within and along the edges of woodland rather than over expansive open terrain.

Identifying Broad-winged Hawk Feathers

• Primaries/secondaries: broad and rounded, brown above with a distinctive dark border along the trailing edge visible from below, edged in white.
• Tail feathers: short and broad with a small number of wide, high-contrast black-and-white bands, the black terminal band typically widest.
• Body feathers: underparts are barred rufous-brown and white; upperpart feathers are a fairly uniform warm brown.
• Compared to Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged tail feathers show fewer, bolder bands and the bird itself is notably smaller and more compact, with correspondingly smaller feathers.

Plumage

Adults have brown upperparts and rufous-barred underparts, with a short tail showing a few broad, high-contrast black-and-white bands. Juveniles are more heavily streaked below rather than barred, with a tail showing narrower, more numerous bands, before molting into adult plumage. Sexes look alike, with only slight size difference.

Habitat & Range

Breeds across deciduous and mixed forest of eastern North America, generally preferring continuous woodland over fragmented habitat. It is a long-distance migrant, traveling in large communal flocks to winter in Central America and northern South America, making it one of the most migratory of the North American buteos.

Behavior & Field Notes

Broad-winged Hawks hunt from forest perches for small vertebrates and other prey, and are relatively quiet and inconspicuous during the breeding season. During migration, they gather in large kettles that can number in the thousands at watch sites along ridgelines and coastlines. A small, compact feather with bold, wide black-and-white tail banding found in eastern forest habitat is consistent with this species, especially given its strong association with woodland rather than open country.