Broad-winged hawk

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Broad-winged Hawk
BroadWingHawk.jpg
Buteo platypterus cubanensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain Eukaryota
Kingdom Animalia
Subkingdom Bilateria
Branch Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum Chordata
Sub-phylum Vertebrata
Infraphylum Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass Tetrapoda
Class Aves
Sub-class Neornithes
Infra-class Neoaves
Order Information
Order Accipitriformes
Sub-order Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily Accipitroidea
Family Accipitridae
Sub-family Buteoninae
Genus Information
Genus Buteo
Species Information
Species B. platypterus
Population statistics
Population Unknown (2016 est.)[1]
Conservation status Least concern[2]

The broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) is a species of bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found throughout much of North America and the Caribbean islands.

Description

The broad-winged hawk is a medium-sized raptor, with a body length of 13 to 17 inches, a wingspan of 29 to 39 inches, and weigh 9.3 to 19.8 ounces. Females are slightly larger than males. Adult birds are dark brown above, with a white chest and belly barred horizontally in reddish brown; light morphs show more white on the underside. The wings are whitish underneath, lightly-barred, with the ends of the primaries and secondaries dark in color, giving the wings a single wide outline when seen in flight; the wings also end in a taper, the only buteonine hawk to have this distinction. The tail is marked with alternating dark grey-black and white bands. Juvenile birds are similar to adults, with a whiter chest and belly marked with vertical barring. A rare, dark color morph (the bird is dark brown throughout) is found in western North America, and found in an approximate ratio of one in 1,000 individuals.[3]

Its call has been described as kee-eee, high-pitched and almost whistle-like.[4]

Subspecies

Range and habitat

Broad-winged hawks live in southern Canada, from central British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia, and south to the gulf coast of the United States. Year-round species are found only in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Broad-winged hawks within Canada and the United States winter in Central and South America, going as far south as Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Hawks migrate in flocks of thousands of individuals, following a wide swath of the Great Plains, with a secondary path along the eastern seaboard of the United States. The average migration distance is 4,350 miles, traveling close to 70 miles per day.[5]

Broad-winged hawks live in humid areas such as marshes, lakes or rivers, avoiding human habitation. The North American population thrives in summer in deciduous or mixed forests, and in tropical forests in winter. Although some populations are near mountains, it generally is found no higher than 6,000 feet.

Reproduction

The breeding range of the broad-winged hawk, excluding sedentary populations on the Caribbean islands, is in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The bird is monogamous, mating for life, with courtship and mating in spring. The female lays 1-5 (usually two) eggs once a year, within a fairly large nest constructed of sticks, and often lined with green branches, moss and bark. Nest construction typically begins in April or May and lasts 2 to 4 weeks; if advantageous, the hawks can also lay eggs in the abandoned nests of other birds, such as crows. The egg of the species are white or slightly bluish in color, and bear brown patches or dots. The female incubates the chicks for about a month, with both parent birds participating in the care of the chicks after hatching. The chicks leave the nest at the age of 5 to 6 weeks and begin to prey at the age of seven weeks; they reach sexual maturity at one or two years of age.

References