Broad-Winged Hawk (Buteo Platypterus) -Small Woodland Buteo

Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) -Small Woodland Buteo

Did you Know?

The relatively short and broad wings of the Broad-winged Hawk are pointed at the end, and have a tapered appearance which is unique to the species – which is also where this species gets its name Fossils of Broad-winged Hawks dating back around 400,000 years have been unearthed in Iowa, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, and Puerto Rico The oldest Broad-winged Hawk on record was captured and released in Florida in 1987; it was 18 years and 4 months old. To conserve energy, Broad-winged Hawks use thermals and updrafts while flying

Photo : 2012 Brian Popelier

Range – North America and South America, from southern Canada to southern Brazil (Canadian and American populations migrate south for the winter, Caribbean populations live year-round in the Caribbean)

Habitat – Large deciduous or mixed forests, nesting far from areas of human disturbance, and migrating along coastlines.

Size – 32-44cm (females are slightly larger than males)

Diet – In the summertime: small mammals such as voles, shrews, chipmunks, squirrels, as well as frogs and lizards. In the wintertime: insects, snakes, crabs, frogs, and some small mammals.

Status – S5/ Common in Ontario

The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]

Identification:

Adult Broad-winged Hawks have brown heads, backs, and wings, while their throats and bellies are white with brown horizontal barring patterns across them. The breast has more barring across it than the belly. They have dark grey-black or brown tails with white lines running along the middle, base, and tip of their tails.

The rare dark morph is entirely sooty brown, except for the white bands that appear on its tail and its silvery flight feathers.

Photo : Julie Waters, 2007 (Wikipedia)

Photo: Blake Maybank, 2010 (Flickr)

The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]

Interesting Facts:

Flocks of Broad-winged Hawks are called “kettles,” and can contain thousands of birds. As they migrate to South America in the fall, these flocks can be seen swirling around each other in the sky, almost as if they were being stirred by an invisible spoon. From broad stretches of habitat in North America, Broad-winged Hawks become more concentrated as they journey south to destinations such as Panama and Veracruz, Mexico. Once they reach their destinations, Broad- winged Hawks do not tend to travel much, usually staying within 1.5 km of their wintering grounds. People visiting such locations describe them as a “river of raptors” because of their vast numbers.

Broad-winged Hawks on the Bruce Trail

The Bruce Trail Conservancy is continually acquiring and protecting land along the Niagara Escarpment, often including land that contains large deciduous and mixed forests that are perfect habitat to support Broad-winged Hawks, as well as many other species.

The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]