Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
During migration, these hawks form massive groups called 'kettles' where thousands of individuals spiral together on rising warm air currents.
- Scientific name
- Buteo platypterus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Buteo
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Dense deciduous and mixed forests, often near water sources or forest openings.
- Diet
- Small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and large insects like grasshoppers.
- Range
- North America, Central America, South America
- Size
- Length: 34-45 cm; Wingspan: 81-100 cm; Weight: 265-560g.
- Lifespan
- Up to 18 years in the wild.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, window collisions during migration, and secondary poisoning from pesticides.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid disturbing nesting or hunting. If you find an injured hawk, do not handle it directly to avoid talons; instead, contact a licensed local wildlife rehabilitator.
The broad-winged hawk ( Buteo platypterus ) is a small hawk of the genus Buteo . During the summer, some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the neotropics from Mexico south to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year residents on Caribbean islands. As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Broad-winged hawks' wings are relatively short and broad with a tapered,...
Photo: Jimmy Dee, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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