IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES:

Broad-Winged hawk

HOW MANY:

1 not adult

REPORTER:

Chadette Pfaff

REPORTER EMAIL:

chadettepfaff@gmail.com

OTHER OBSERVERS:

Kyle Wright

Maxi Galmes

DATE REPORT PREPARED:

9-11-2007

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED:

9-10-2007

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION:

Lucky Peak Idaho, Idaho Bird Observatory official raptor migration observation station

HABITAT:

mixed big sagebrush and Douglas fir mountainous terrain

CONDITIONS:

around a minute which is typical when observing migrating raptors, some clouds, light winds and with Eagle optics rangers 8x42.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?:

Yes, during the observation

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?:

No, not at all

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

DESCRIPTION:

The bird was fist sighted overhead north of Lucky peak and glided directly over the observers. It's shape suggested a typical Buteo the with board wings and but was somewhat reminiscent of accipiters in flight style. As the bird streamed overhead it become evident the wings were pushed forward at the wrists and the bird exhibited a labored flight style. Also the bird was low enough we could see a relatively clean underside and dark trailing edges to the wings giving the bird a very "clean" lined appearance. The tail was flared and showed many bands meaning the bird was not an adult.

BEHAVIOR:

This bird exhibited the typical flight style of a Board-winged hawk with very labored flaps almost like the bird had to really work in order to stay in the sky followed by a glide.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?

When the bird was strait overhead and I saw a lack of patterning on the underside and had a great view of its overall shape.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?

Other Buteos such as the Red-tailed hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk, and Red-shouldered hawk have longer wings and very different flying styles compared with Broad-winged hawks. Also the bird was low enough and was easily distinguished from any accipiter by coloration and overall shape; its tail was not long enough.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES):

I have hawkwatch for three Falls in Wyoming, the Grand Canyon, and the Florida Keys. In all I have seen thousands of Broad-winged hawks in migration along with thousands of other raptors in migration. My co-observer Kyle Wright volunteered at Derby Hill a spring raptor migration site in up state New York from 1996-2000, he also was an official observer at Bake Oven Knob in Fall 2005 and has seen upwards of 10,000 Broad-winged hawks in migration. Maxi Galmes has worked with raptors for 8 years in Argentina.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE:

I have been birding for 8 years. Kyle Wright has birded for 13 years.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?:

None