Birds diurnal

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

The Broad-winged Hawk is the 'ghost of the forest,' a compact and powerful hunter that thrives in the deep woods. Watch for their bold banded tails and listen for their piercing whistles echoing through the canopy.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 34-45 cm (13-18 in); Wingspan: 81-100 cm (32-39 in); Weight: 265-560 g (9-20 oz)

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Colors

Adults have a dark brown back and a white underside with heavy reddish-brown horizontal barring. The tail is the best giveaway, featuring bold, equal-width bands of black and white.

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Key Features

Broad, black-and-white banded tail
Tapered, somewhat pointed wingtips
Reddish-brown barring on a white chest
Small, stocky Buteo silhouette

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern diurnal

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Peak hours 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, especially during mid-day when thermals allow for easy soaring.

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Season April through September; peak visibility occurs during migration in mid-September.

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Diet A generalist carnivore that hunts small mammals, amphibians (especially toads), reptiles, and large insects like grasshoppers.

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Habitat Continuous deciduous or mixed forests, often near water sources or small woodland clearings.

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Behavior

Broad-winged Hawks are masters of the forest interior. Unlike their larger cousins, the Red-tailed Hawks, who prefer open fields, Broad-wings spend most of their time tucked away in the canopy or perched on low branches in the deep woods. They are sit-and-wait predators, remaining remarkably still for long periods while scanning the forest floor for a flick of movement from a frog or a vole.

While they are solitary and quiet during the nesting season, their social behavior changes dramatically in the fall. They are famous for forming 'kettles'—massive swirling groups of hundreds or even thousands of hawks—as they migrate toward South America. To humans, they are often known by their high-pitched, thin whistle that sounds more like a small songbird than a powerful raptor.

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Camera Tips

To capture a Broad-winged Hawk on camera, you need to think like a forest hunter. Avoid placing your camera in wide-open fields. Instead, look for 'edges'—the places where a dense forest meets a small clearing, a trail, or a creek. These hawks love to perch on branches about 10-20 feet off the ground overlooking these openings. Aim your camera at a prominent, horizontal dead branch or a large mossy log on the ground, as they will often swoop down to these spots to secure their prey.

Water is your best friend for attracting Broad-wings to a backyard setup. They are known to visit secluded, ground-level birdbaths or small garden ponds to drink and bathe, especially during the heat of July and August. Position your camera about 2 feet off the ground, roughly 10 feet away from the water source, and use a high-speed trigger setting. Because they are fast and their visits are brief, a trigger speed of 0.2 seconds or faster is ideal to avoid getting a 'ghost' or a blur.

Lighting in the forest can be tricky with dappled shade creating 'hot spots' in your images. If possible, face your camera North or South to avoid the direct glare of the rising or setting sun through the trees. If your camera has a 'Hybrid Mode' that takes both a photo and a short video clip, enable it. Seeing the hawk’s head movements and hearing its distinctive 'pe-teee' whistle provides a much richer experience than a still photo alone.

During the late summer, fledgling hawks are much less cautious than adults. This is the 'Golden Hour' for trail camera users. Make sure your batteries are fresh in August, as the young birds will often spend more time on the ground or low perches investigating their surroundings, giving you the perfect opportunity for a high-definition close-up before they head south for the winter.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Broad-winged Hawk.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered hawks have many narrow white tail bands and a more vibrant orange breast compared to the broad, singular white band of the Broad-winged Hawk.

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawks have a much longer, rounded tail and a leaner build; they are Accipiters, while Broad-wings are stocky Buteos.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawks are significantly larger with a signature cinnamon-red tail and a dark 'belly band' of streaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Broad-winged Hawks are strictly diurnal, meaning they are active during daylight. You are most likely to see them hunting in the mid-morning through late afternoon, specifically once the sun is high enough to create the thermal updrafts they use for soaring.

The best way to attract them is to provide a reliable water source, such as a large stone birdbath or a small pond, located near the edge of a wooded area. Keeping your backyard wildlife-friendly by avoiding pesticides will also ensure a healthy population of the frogs and insects they eat.

They have a very diverse diet that includes small rodents, frogs, toads, snakes, and even large insects. They are particularly fond of amphibians, making them a common sight near woodland pools and streams.

They are less common in heavily developed suburbs than Red-tailed Hawks, but they are frequently found in 'wooded suburbs' that have large stands of mature trees and proximity to parks or forest preserves.

Look at the tail: Broad-winged Hawks have few, very wide black and white bands (usually one main white band is visible), while Red-shouldered Hawks have many narrow white bands on a dark tail. Broad-wings are also smaller and lack the translucent 'crescents' near the wingtips that Red-shouldered Hawks show in flight.

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