# Broad-winged Hawk

Scientific name: Buteo platypterus

Bird group: [hawk](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/hawk)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/180/Broad-winged-Hawk

## Identification

The broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) is a medium-sized hawk of the genus Buteo. During the summer, some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the Neotropics from Mexico south to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year residents on Caribbean islands. As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Broad-winged hawks' wings are relatively short and broad with a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance. The two types of coloration are a dark morph with fewer white areas and a light morph that is more pale overall. Although the broad-winged hawk's numbers are relatively stable, populations are declining in some parts of its breeding range because of forest fragmentation.


## Distribution and habitat

The Broad-winged Hawk is a rare and endemic non-
migratory subspecies in Puerto 
Rico (Raffaele and others 
1998), mostly restricted to 
El Yunque National Forest, 
and in Carite and Río Abajo 
Commonwealth Forests, where 
it is most abundant (Oberle 
2018). However, it has also 
been reported for the Toro 
Negro, Maricao, and Guajataca 
Commonwealth Forests (J.A. 
Salguero-Faría, personal 
observation 2009). It is an 
extremely rare visitor in Vieques (Gemmill 2015). Currently, 
this species is restricted to 
dense broadleaf forests in the 
mountains (Oberle 2018, Raffaele 
and others 1998). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 15 
records within 13 hexagons or 3 
percent of the 479 total hexagons 
(see map). Of the 13 hexagons 
where this species was found, 
breeding met the atlas definition 
of probable in 8 percent (1) and 
possible in 77 percent (10), while 
the species was observed in 15 
percent (2) of the hexagons but 
without evidence of breeding 
(see map). Broad-winged Hawk distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.      171Broad-winged Hawk/Guaraguao de Bosque

## Breeding

Previously published reports indicate that the Broad-winged 
Hawk builds a large bulky 
stick nest in a tree or on a cliff 
from January to July (Raffaele 
and others 1998), but most of 
the nesting activity occurs in 
February and March (Oberle 
2018). Atlas results indicate that 
breeding activity for this species 
peaks in April, suggesting this 
species may also breed outside 
of the period described in the 
literature. Results show that the Broad-winged Hawk mostly 
breeds within the subtropical 
wet and subtropical moist forest 
life zones (73 and 27 percent of 
the hexagons, respectively) (see 
table and map). 

## Conservation

Overall, the Broad-winged Hawk (B. platypterus) is listed as a 
species of least concern by the 
IUCN (BirdLife International 
2016). Locally, however, the 
subspecies (B. p. brunnescens) is 
listed as critically endangered by local laws (PRDNER 2015) and 
as endangered by Federal laws 
(USFWS 1973). In Puerto Rico, 
the Broad-winged Hawk has a 
protected habitat in land of 34 
percent or 106 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding was 
found for this species (311 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_180_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_180_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.