# 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.

- **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.

## About

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,...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/90589311-0ed5-4b64-9c3d-9e15b9585abe
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5227
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buteo platypterus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/67485030/medium.jpg (Jimmy Dee, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.