RANGE: Most common North American hawk. Breeds from southern Canada to northern Florida over eastern half of North America. A migrating species, broadwings migrate in the fall to the central part of South America.

HABITAT: A woodland's hawk: Dry to wet, deciduous, mixed or occasionally coniferous forests.

SIZE: LENGTH: 13-17 inches
WINGSPAN: 32-36 inches
WEIGHT: 11-17 ounces
 

LIFE EXPECTANCY:
WILD: Unknown
CAPTIVITY: Unknown

REPRODUCTION: Build nest in crotch of tree next to trunk. Takes 3-5 weeks to build it and rarely use previous nest. Sometimes will renovate and use old raptor, crow or even squirrel nest. Commonly add greenery to nest while in use, with the possible reasons being ectoparasite repellent, sanitation, and hiding nestlings. Lay 2-4 eggs. Incubation period of 28-30 days. Young brooded intensely by female till 21-24 days of age. Fed by female until about 30 days old. Become able fliers during sixth week after hatching. Fledglings receive food from parents until about 50-56 days of age. Don't return to natal area as yearlings.

DIET: Mammals such as chipmunks, shrews, hares, and voles; birds, frogs, snakes and lizards. Don't eat many insects on breeding grounds, but apparently do on south american wintering grounds.

BEHAVIOR: Like to hunt from perch (still hunting). Don't search much for prey while soaring or hovering. In courtship, territorial advertisement done by soaring and swooping behavior, often by paired birds at same time with loud whistling typical of species.

POINTS OF INTEREST: Pointed short wings and relatively long tail. Sluggish flier, so ignored by falconers, even though very mild-mannered. Strongly banded black and white tail in adults useful for identifying them. Most common and typical woodland hawk in eastern North America. Only raptor to migrate in flocks, sometimes numbering in the thousands.

STATUS: One of the most abundant North American hawks and most abundant buteo. No evidence of significant changes in recent years. Didn't suffer large losses during era of DDT and other hard pesticides.

Powered by