Broad-winged Hawk – 4/21/24

Observer: Paul Lauenstein

Observation Date: 4/21/24

Observation Time: 1:30

Observation Location: telephone pole by Beach Street near Sharon High School

Common Name: Broad-winged hawk

Scientific Name: Buteo platypterus

Comments: A small, stocky raptor with black-and-white bands on the tail, the Broad-winged Hawk is a bird of the forest interior and can be hard to see during the nesting season. Its call is a piercing, two-parted whistle.

One of the greatest spectacles of migration is a swirling flock of Broad-winged Hawks on their way to South America. Also known as “kettles,” flocks can contain thousands of circling birds that evoke a vast cauldron being stirred with an invisible spoon.

More Information: All About Birds