The broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) is a small, compact forest hawk of eastern North America, best known for migrating in enormous flocks called kettles. It is most readily identified by its size, its boldly banded tail, and its habit of soaring in tight circles high overhead during September and October.
Identification and Field Marks
Adult broad-winged hawks are about 13–17 inches long with a wingspan of roughly 31–35 inches, making them noticeably smaller than the similar red-shouldered hawk. In flight, the wings are broad and rounded, and the tail is short with two or three white bands on a dark background. The underside is pale with heavy reddish-brown barring across the breast and belly. A dark border along the trailing edge of the wings is a useful mark in flight, especially when the bird is seen from below.
There is also a dark morph, more common in the western part of the range, in which the entire body is dark brown except for the banded tail. Juveniles have streaked underparts and a narrower tail band, making them harder to separate from young red-shouldered hawks. The best clue is the wing shape: broad-winged hawks have a more paddle-like, blunt-winged silhouette.
Range and Habitat
The broad-winged hawk breeds in deciduous and mixed forests across southern Canada and the eastern United States, from Saskatchewan and Manitoba east to the Maritime provinces, and south to the Gulf states and northern Florida. It is a true long-distance migrant, spending the winter from southern Florida and Mexico through Central America to northern South America, particularly in the Amazon basin. A separate population in the Caribbean, sometimes treated as a distinct subspecies, is resident on islands such as Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
During the breeding season, it favors large tracts of mature forest with an open understory, often near water. It is rarely seen in open country or suburban areas, unlike the red-tailed hawk. This preference for continuous woodland makes it sensitive to forest fragmentation, and its numbers have declined in some regions where habitat has been cleared.
Migration and Kettling Behavior
No other North American hawk migrates in such large, concentrated groups. Broad-winged hawks are soaring specialists that rely on thermals—rising columns of warm air—to travel with minimal flapping. Because thermals form over land, they funnel through narrow corridors, especially along mountain ridges and near large lakes. At these watch sites, observers can see thousands of birds pass in a single day, circling together in a “kettle” before streaming south.
One of the best-known migration watchpoints is Hawk Mountain in eastern Pennsylvania, where counts of over 10,000 broad-winged hawks in a single day are not unusual. The peak passage typically occurs in mid-September, and the birds travel as far as 4,000 miles to reach their wintering grounds. In spring, they return along similar routes, though the flights are generally smaller and more spread out.
Diet and Hunting Style
Broad-winged hawks are opportunistic predators of small animals. Their diet includes rodents, shrews, frogs, snakes, and large insects, and they will occasionally take young birds. They hunt from a perch, dropping down onto prey on the forest floor, or sometimes catch insects in midair. Unlike the red-tailed hawk, they rarely hover or hunt from high soaring flight.
In the tropics during winter, they join mixed-species flocks of raptors and vultures, feeding on swarms of army ants or winged termites. This flexibility in diet helps them survive across a wide winter range, from humid lowland forests to mountain cloud forests.
Breeding and Nesting
Broad-winged hawks are monogamous and return to the same nesting territory year after year. The nest is a platform of sticks placed in a crotch of a large tree, often 20–60 feet above the ground, and lined with bark and green leaves. Both sexes build, but the female does most of the incubation of the two to four eggs, which lasts about 28–31 days.
The young fledge at around five to six weeks of age, but they remain dependent on the parents for several more weeks. Unlike some other buteos, broad-winged hawks are shy and secretive around the nest, and they will abandon a nest if disturbed early in the season. This sensitivity to human activity is another reason they require large, undisturbed forest blocks.
Conservation Status and Threats
The broad-winged hawk is still common across much of its range, and the IUCN lists it as a species of Least Concern. However, its dependence on mature forest makes it vulnerable to logging and development. In the Midwest and Northeast, populations have declined locally where forest cover has been fragmented. Pesticide contamination, once a serious threat to raptors, has declined since the ban on DDT, but the species still accumulates residues from prey in agricultural areas.
Collisions with towers and wind turbines during migration are a growing concern, though the impact on the overall population is not well quantified. Because the entire eastern population funnels through a few migration corridors, a single severe weather event or a large-scale habitat loss in those regions could have a disproportionate effect.
Comparison with Similar Species
Birders often confuse the broad-winged hawk with the red-shouldered hawk, which shares its forest habitat and barred breast. The red-shouldered hawk is larger, has a longer tail with thin white bands, and shows a distinctive pale crescent at the base of the primary feathers in flight. The broad-winged hawk’s tail bands are wider and fewer, and its wing tips reach nearly to the tail tip when perched, whereas the red-shouldered’s wings fall short of the tail.
The red-tailed hawk is larger and bulkier, with a solid rufous tail in adults and a belly band of dark streaks rather than barring. In migration, the broad-winged hawk’s teardrop-shaped body and rapid, stiff wingbeats set it apart from the slower, deeper wingbeats of the red-tailed. The Swainson’s hawk, which migrates through the western plains, has a similar size and banded tail, but its wings are more pointed and its underside is whiter, with a dark chest band.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell a broad-winged hawk from a red-shouldered hawk?
Look at the tail bands and the wing shape. The broad-winged has a short tail with two or three broad white bands, while the red-shouldered has a longer tail with many thin white bands. In flight, the broad-winged’s wings are blunter and more rounded, and it lacks the red-shouldered’s pale crescent at the wing base.
Why do broad-winged hawks migrate in such large groups?
They rely on thermals, which form over land and are strongest in the late morning and afternoon. By circling together in a kettle, they can ride the same thermal upward without expending energy, then glide to the next thermal. This communal soaring is efficient, and it also helps the birds find food and avoid predators during the long journey.
Where is the best place to see a broad-winged hawk migration?
Ridge-top watch sites in the eastern United States, such as Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, Hawk Ridge in Minnesota, and the Derby Hill Observatory in New York, are famous for broad-winged hawk counts. The peak is usually between September 10 and 25, and a cold front with northwest winds often produces the largest flights.
Do broad-winged hawks eat other birds?
Yes, but less frequently than some other hawks. Their diet is mostly small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, but they will take nestling birds or small songbirds if the opportunity arises. During the winter in the tropics, they often feed on insects, especially termites and ants.
Are broad-winged hawks endangered?
No, they are not endangered. The global population is estimated in the millions, and the species is listed as Least Concern. However, local declines have occurred in areas with heavy deforestation, and the species is considered a conservation priority in some states because of its need for large forest blocks.
What does a broad-winged hawk sound like?
Its call is a high, piercing whistle that sounds like “kee-ee” or “pee-ee,” often given repeatedly. It is most vocal during the breeding season and is rarely heard in migration. The call is similar to that of the red-shouldered hawk, but thinner and more drawn out.
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