Broad-winged Hawk

Look for

A compact buteo — chunky body, short broad wings, bold black-and-white banded tail (thick black bands, narrow white). Adults have reddish chest barring on white. Smaller than a Red-tailed or Red-shouldered Hawk — look crow-sized.

Size: ~15" — crow-sized.

Listen for

• Call: a high, thin, two-note whistle "pe-TEEEE!" — piercing, descending, sustained on the second note. Unmistakable once learned.

Where in Memphis

Migrates through in spectacular kettles. In September especially, they form rotating spirals of hundreds to thousands of birds riding thermals south.

• Mississippi River bluffs (Chickasaw Bluff overlooks, Martyrs Park) — best fall kettle-watching spots
• Overton Park Old Forest — possible breeders in forested blocks
• Meeman-Shelby Forest

Peak migration: mid-September (fall) and mid-April (spring). Small summer-breeding population in mature forest.

Behavior

• Kettle migrants. They stack vertically in thermals — dozens to thousands spiraling together, coasting from thermal to thermal across the continent.
• Forest breeders. Small contiguous forest blocks.
• Ambush hunters — still-hunt for snakes, toads, chipmunks, voles.

Story

The Hawk Migration Spectacle

Broad-winged Hawks are the champions of kettle migration. Entire populations of the Eastern U.S. move together southward through a narrow corridor, funneling down through Texas and Mexico into Central and South America.

At peak, Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania sees 20,000+ in a single day. Memphis gets a thinner slice — but the Mississippi River bluffs hold a persistent September fall-watch tradition. Local birders climb the bluffs and count the stream.

The shortest-distance migration champions (relatively)

For a raptor, Broad-wings cover enormous distances — Canadian breeding grounds to Brazilian Amazon wintering grounds. ~4,000 miles one way. The kettle strategy saves energy: they don't flap most of the trip, they just catch thermals and glide.

The whistle you learn once

Their two-note pe-TEEE! is so distinctive that it's one of the easiest raptor calls for beginners to learn. Also: it's mimicked by Blue Jays occasionally, adding to the confusion.

Fun facts

• A fall kettle can contain 50,000+ birds at the biggest East Coast hawk-watches.
• They migrate by day (all other songbirds migrate at night).
• Their short broad wings are perfect for catching thermals without flapping.
• Oldest known wild Broad-winged Hawk: 18+ years.
• They're the smallest Eastern Buteo.