Scientific Name: Buteo playtypterus
Nest Type: Platform
Nest Location: Deciduous trees; 30-50'
Clutch Size: 1-4; avg. 2-3
Food: Small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects
Foraging Guild: Swoops
The Broad-winged Hawk regularly nests in forested regions of the north and northeast, but generally is absent from the west and southwest parts of Minnesota
(Janssen 1987). The breeding season range includes south central and southeastern Canada and the eastern US from Minnesota to eastern Oklahoma and Texas to
northern Florida. Small wintering populations are found in coastal regions of southern Florida and southern California (National Geographic Society 1983). Many
individuals migrate through northern Central America and winter from Guatemala to Peru and southern Brazil (Brewer et al. 1991). This species is the most
abundant migrating raptor seen in the fall at Hawk Ridge, Duluth. The daily record was set on September 18, 1993, when 47,922 individuals were recorded. The
seasonal record, also set in 1993, was 110,272 individuals. Spring migration is less far less spectacular, but groups as large as 300 individuals can be seen with a
peak occurring in Minnesota in late April to early May.
In Minnesota the species occurs throughout the forested regions, but especially in the mixed deciduous-coniferous forested areas and those associated with
woodland ponds, creeks, sloughs, and wetlands (Roberts 1932, Keran 1978). It likely reaches its highest abundance in the central and north-central regions of the
state where these combinations are most prevalent.
The Broad-winged Hawk typically waits on a low perch on the edge of a small opening or roadside and catches small vertebrates (including Ruffed Grouse,
snowshoe hare, voles, snakes and amphibians) or large invertebrate prey (including beetles, ants, grasshoppers, and caterpillars) (Errington and Breckenridge 1938,
Rusch and Doerr 1972, Ehrlich et al. 1988, Brewer et al. 1991). Platform nests are built by both parents in a lower crotch of a deciduous tree (mean diameter from
21 to 49 cm (Rosenfield 1984), usually 30 to 50 feet above ground.
Nest materials include sticks and dead leaves for the outer nest, and bark, lichen, and green leaves for a lining (Roberts 1932, Keran 1978, Ehrlich et al. 1988). Two
to three eggs are usually laid and incubated, mostly by the female, (Matray 1974) for 28 to 32 days. The young are cared for by both parents and fledge about 35
days after hatching (Matray 1974, Ehrlich et al. 1988). Nests with eggs have been reported from early May to late June in both Minnesota and Wisconsin (Roberts
1932, Robbins 1991).
Preferred nesting habitat includes many types of deciduous and mixed forests where openings occur (Titus and Mosher 1987, Kingsley and Nicholls 1991). Highly
fragmented forests are not normally used (Brewer et al. 1991). Keran (1978) quantified nest site selection in north central Minnesota and Wisconsin. Results
indicated a preference for oak, aspen, and birch older than 35 years within 125 m of an upland opening, and within 150 m of a wetland. In Hubbard and Becker
counties in Minnesota, 11 nests were found all within 290 m of an opening, and within 325 m of a wetland (Johnson 1982).
Intensive forest management may result in a decline in Broad-winged Hawk populations if reductions of mature, contiguous forests occur in the breeding range.
Small openings and wetlands are important habitat components for this species as well, and should be provided for in management planning to ensure viable
Broad-winged Hawk populations. Historically, shooting of migrating raptors was likely detrimental to this species during both spring and fall migration periods in
Minnesota (Roberts 1932).
Regional declines have been noted in the more developed regions of the northeastern US; increasing trends have been seen in less developed areas (Titus et al.
1989). Migration data from Minnesota suggests a stable population with considerable annual variation (Johnson 1982). Roadside count data from the Breeding Bird
Survey has indicated no trend for this species during the past 23 years (Janssen 1990). However, Sauer and Droege (1992) reported a slight increase of 0.8 % based
on its occurrence on 821 routes in the U.S. from 1966 to 1988.