Broad-Winged Hawk Migration and Conservation Project
– Dr. Rebecca McCabe, Dr. Laurie Goodrich (Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association), and Kenauk Institute interns
The broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) is the most numerous raptor migrant in north-eastern North America, yet little is known about its ecology and the conservation challenges faced by this long-distance traveler. Broad-winged hawks traverse many diverse landscapes with various anthropogenic and natural threats not only during migration but also in their breeding and wintering areas. Nesting throughout the east and central US and Canada, the entire population migrates to Mexico, Central and South America to overwinter. On July 9, 2024, a healthy adult female broad-winged hawk, named Kenauk and sponsored by Bird Protection Quebec, was tagged with a GPS-GSM transmitter at the Kenauk Institute by Hawk Mountain researchers and Kenauk interns, adding to the Canadian sample size of tagged broad-winged hawks. Data from these transmitters’ sheds light on breeding and wintering home ranges, pre-migratory movements, migration patterns, stopovers, habitat requirements and more. Kenauk started her fall migration on September 17 after raising one nestling on the property and continued migrating south into Honduras before flying out of cell tower range.
