Broad-winged Hawk Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBroad-winged Hawk
Adult light morph
Small hawk with broad wings that come to a slight point at the tips. Light morph adult has barred underparts and a strongly banded tail. Note dark outline to trailing edge of wings.
© David Brown / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, September 20, 2016Adult light morph
A small forest raptor, often best detected during the breeding season by its loud, piercing whistled call.
© Monique Berlinguette / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, July 18, 2018Adult light morph
Small hawk with short tail and broad wings with pointed tips. Soars on steady wings, typically turning in tighter circles than other raptors.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, May 04, 1997Adult light morph
Light morph adult has a brown head with variable amounts of barring on the breast.
© Martina Nordstrand / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, September 20, 2020Adult light morph
Small, compact hawk with brown upperparts. Adult has a broad white band on the tail.
© andrew aldrich / Macaulay LibraryMaine, April 19, 2016Adult light morph
A small hawk of wooded habitats. Adults have a brown head and chest, barred underparts, and dark tail with a broad white band.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibrarySantiago de Cuba, February 01, 2004Adult dark morph
Rare dark-morph adult is uniform dark brown overall, except for a broad white band in the tail.
© Wayne Perala / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, April 29, 2021Juvenile light morph
Juvenile light morphs have variable amounts of brown barring on the breast.
© Nathan Dubrow / Macaulay LibraryMaine, January 08, 2021Flock (with Swainson's Hawks)
Forms enormous flocks during fall migration, particularly as the birds funnel through Mexico and Central America. Sometimes flocks with other raptors, including Swainson's Hawk.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryVeracruz, October 08, 2006Juvenile light morph
Some juvenile light morphs have more heavily streaked underparts.
© Sean Clinning / Macaulay LibraryKentucky, August 05, 2018Juvenile light morph
Juvenile light morph has brown upperparts with some white markings.
© fernando Burgalin Sequeria / Macaulay LibraryAlajuela, November 21, 2020Juvenile light morph
Juvenile light morphs have variable amounts of brown on the breast and lack a dark trailing edge to the wing. The tail has many narrow bands, usually with a stronger dark band at the tip. The gaps in the wing indicate this bird is molting its primary feathers.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 20, 2017Juvenile dark morph
In flight, both adult and juvenile dark morph have silvery flight feathers that contast with dark brown underwing coverts. Juvenile's tail has several dark bands, while adult dark morph's tail is similar to adult light morph's.
© Tony Leukering / Macaulay LibraryTexas, November 10, 2013Immature light morph
This immature bird is replacing juvenile tail pattern (visible in outer tail feathers) with adult pattern (inner feathers). Typically does not breed until more than one year old, but yearling birds (especially males) sometimes mate with adults.
© James Sawusch / Macaulay LibraryNew York, July 09, 2017Immature light morph
A small, compact hawk with broad wings, a large head, and a fairly short tail.
© Mary McSparen / Macaulay LibraryArizona, April 13, 2020Habitat
A hawk of forests, breeding in large deciduous or mixed deciduous-evergreen forests.
© Mark Kosiewski / Macaulay LibraryNorth Carolina, July 21, 2012Flock
Forms large flocks on migration, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands or more. Sometimes flocks with other hawk species.
© LG Pr / Macaulay LibraryTexas, September 20, 2012Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Adult (lineatus group)
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk has reddish barring on the breast and belly, unlike Broad-winged's brown chest and brown-streaked belly.
© Roger Reets / Macaulay LibraryAlabama, December 23, 2016Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Adult (lineatus group)
In flight, adult Red-shouldered Hawks show black-and-white checkered flight feathers and several narrow bands in the tail, unlike Broad-winged Hawk's pale underwings and broad bands in the tail.
© Chris S. Wood / Macaulay LibraryConnecticut, September 25, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile (lineatus group)
When perched, young Red-shouldered Hawks can be very similar to young Broad-winged. Red-shouldered usually looks slimmer and shows bands in the secondaries of the folded wing, whereas Broad-winged looks short and stocky, with more uniform brown on the wing.
© Ed Wransky / Macaulay LibraryOhio, January 22, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile (lineatus group)
In flight, juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks usually show a reddish wash on the underwing coverts, and they usually show pale or translucent crescents in the primaries, both features that Broad-winged lacks.
© Gordon Dimmig / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, August 18, 2011Similar SpeciesCooper's Hawk
Adult
Cooper's Hawks are differently shaped than Broad-winged Hawks, with much longer tails. Adult Cooper's Hawks have a reddish eye, gray upperparts, and fine reddish barring on the breast.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, February 11, 2017Similar SpeciesCooper's Hawk
Juvenile
Cooper's Hawks are more slender and have much longer tails than Broad-winged Hawks.
© Geoffrey Groom / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, December 21, 2015Similar SpeciesCooper's Hawk
Juvenile
In flight, Cooper's Hawks have much longer tails than Broad-winged Hawks. They tend to flap and glide rather than soar for extended periods with wings open, as Broad-winged Hawks do.
© Jean-Sébastien Mayer / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, September 12, 2016Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Adult (Northern)
Adult Sharp-shinned Hawks are gray above and finely barred reddish on the breast, unlike the overall brown tones of Broad-winged. They have much longer tails than Broad-winged Hawks, and the eye of adult Sharp-shinned is reddish.
© robert beauchamp / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 29, 2017Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Immature (Northern)
Young Sharp-shinned Hawks are best told from Broad-winged by shape: they are more slender, typically smaller, and have much longer tails than Broad-winged Hawks.
© Sue Barth / Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 14, 2013Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Immature (Northern)
Sharp-shinned Hawks have much longer tails and shorter, more barred wings than Broad-winged Hawks. In flight they flap and glide intermittently, but rarely soar for long periods without flapping, as Broad-winged Hawks do.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, September 24, 2014Similar SpeciesRed-tailed Hawk
Adult light morph (borealis)
Red-tailed Hawks are larger than Broad-winged Hawks. They have dark bars across the inner half of the leading edge of the underwing (patagium). Adult Red-tailed Hawks have reddish tails without the strong black-and-white bands of Broad-winged.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 18, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-tailed Hawk
Juvenile (borealis)
Red-tailed Hawks are larger than Broad-winged Hawks, with a distinct "belly band" of brown streaks.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 29, 2016Similar SpeciesRed-tailed Hawk
Juvenile light morph (calurus/alascensis)
Like adults, young Red-tailed Hawks have the dark patagium along the leading edge of the wing from shoulder to wrist. They also usually have a belly band of dark streaks and a mostly unmarked chest.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, June 08, 2011Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites(Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae)
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