Our Resident Broad-winged Hawk

Theo

Brought to Sharon Audubon Center:

May 14, 2009

Sex: Unknown

Injury:  Unable to sustain flight

History: Theo came to the Audubon Center from a wildlife rehabilitator in Bristol, CT after sustaining injuries from a collision with a car.  Theo had a severely fractured wing that was unable to be corrected even with veterinary care and thus has very limited flight capabilities.  Theo is currently in training to accompany education staff to various schools and events as part of our Hawk and Owl programs.  He resides in an outdoor aviary with Koda, the Red-shouldered Hawk.

Broad-winged Hawk

(Buteo platypterus)

Average Height: 1- 1 ½ feet

Average Weight:  1 pound

Wingspan:  2 ½ - 3 ½ feet

Lifespan:  5-10 years in wild

Description:  The Broad-winged Hawk, a very common crow-sized woodland hawk, is the smallest buteo in North America.  It is dark brown above and barred underneath, with silvery-white wings with black tips.  The tail usually has broad, equally-sized bands; three black and two white.

Call:  The call of a Broad-winged Hawk is a high pitch whistle, which often sounds much like a Wood Pewee: "Pee--weee."

Range:  The Broad-winged Hawk covers most of the eastern United States and into Canada from Nova Scotia west to Alberta.  They are not usually found west of the Great Plains.

Habitat:  Broad-wings prefer large hardwood forests or mixed coniferous-hardwood forests near lakes, streams and swamps.

Diet:  This small, woodland hawk eats many small mammals, insects, amphibians and reptiles.  Some of their diet includes frogs and toads, snakes, red squirrels, chipmunks, some small birds, caterpillars, grasshoppers and crickets, earthworms, and crayfish.