Small hawk with broad wings that come to a slight point at the tips. Light morph adult has barred underparts and a strongly banded tail. Note dark outline to trailing edge of wings.
A small forest raptor, often best detected during the breeding season by its loud, piercing whistled call.
Small hawk with short tail and broad wings with pointed tips. Soars on steady wings, typically turning in tighter circles than other raptors.
Light morph adult has a brown head with variable amounts of barring on the breast.
Small, compact hawk with brown upperparts. Adult has a broad white band on the tail.
A small hawk of wooded habitats. Adults have a brown head and chest, barred underparts, and dark tail with a broad white band.
Rare dark-morph adult is uniform dark brown overall, except for a broad white band in the tail.
Juvenile light morphs have variable amounts of brown barring on the breast.
Forms enormous flocks during fall migration, particularly as the birds funnel through Mexico and Central America. Sometimes flocks with other raptors, including Swainson's Hawk.
Some juvenile light morphs have more heavily streaked underparts.
Juvenile light morph has brown upperparts with some white markings.
Juvenile light morphs have variable amounts of brown on the breast and lack a dark trailing edge to the wing. The tail has many narrow bands, usually with a stronger dark band at the tip. The gaps in the wing indicate this bird is molting its primary feathers.
In flight, both adult and juvenile dark morph have silvery flight feathers that contast with dark brown underwing coverts. Juvenile's tail has several dark bands, while adult dark morph's tail is similar to adult light morph's.
This immature bird is replacing juvenile tail pattern (visible in outer tail feathers) with adult pattern (inner feathers). Typically does not breed until more than one year old, but yearling birds (especially males) sometimes mate with adults.
A small, compact hawk with broad wings, a large head, and a fairly short tail.
Click on an image to compare
Broad-winged Hawks are small, compact raptors with chunky bodies and large heads. In flight, their broad wings come to a distinct point. The tail is short and square.
Slightly smaller than a Red-shouldered Hawk.
crow-sizedThe rare dark morph of the Broad-winged Hawk is much more likely to be seen breeding in the western portion of its range and migrating through the eastern Great Plains and Texas. It is entirely sooty brown except for white bands in the tail.
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites(Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae)
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.
