The
broad-winged hawk (
Buteo platypterus) is a small
hawk of the
genus Buteo. During the summer, some
subspecies are distributed over eastern
North America, as far west as
British Columbia and
Texas; they then
migrate south to winter in the
neotropics from
Mexico down to southern
Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year residents on Caribbean islands. As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Broad-winged hawks' wings are relatively short and broad with a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance. There are two types of colouration: a dark morph with fewer white areas and a light morph that is more pale overall. Although the broad-winged hawk's numbers are relatively stable, populations are declining in some parts of its breeding range because of forest fragmentation.