Species Spotlight: Broad-winged Hawk
Looks like: This medium-sized hawk has a stout body, broad wings, and a short tail. It has a reddish, barred chest, a dark tail and face, and a white throat.
Lives in: Unbroken deciduous or mixed deciduous/coniferous forests.
Niche: Broad-winged hawks eat large insects and small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Threats: Fragmentation and loss of forest areas to development. Chicks may be killed by Great Horned Owls.
Frequency: Uncommon in spring and summer, common during fall migration.
Reproduction: Mating occurs in mid April shortly after arrival. Broad-winged hawks build nests that look like large bowls from sticks, twigs, and bark chips and may place them on top of an old crow or squirrel nest. Eggs are light blue with brownish dots. Chicks hatch in less than a month and then fledge about 6 weeks later.
Fun facts: Broad-winged hawks migrate in mid-September to wintering grounds in Central and South America, with the Shawangunk Ridge serving as a key resting spot during this long journey.
