Broad-Winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Also known as: Broad-Winged Buzzard
About This Species
This compact forest hawk soars on broad, rounded wings over deciduous woodland edges in eastern North America, most conspicuous during its spectacular autumn migration when thousands can pass over a single ridge in a day. Listen for its thin, two-note whistle and scan thermals near woodland gaps for kettles of birds circling upward before gliding onward. Spring and fall migration watch-points offer the best viewing, while breeding pairs are quieter and more secretive in forest interior.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- View migrating birds from the ground with binoculars rather than approaching, since they pass well overhead; near a nest site, stay back at least 100 metres and leave promptly if the adults begin calling in alarm.
- Raptors are legally protected across virtually all of their range in the United States, Canada, and Central America, though specific nest-disturbance statutes vary by country, so treat any suspected nest site with particular caution.
- Never linger near an active nest for photography, as flushed adults can expose eggs or chicks to predation or weather.
LCAvesAccipitriformesAccipitridae
Seasonal Activity
1,090,884 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
Photo
(c) Andy Pearce 🕊, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andy Pearce 🕊
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.