Migration Routes And Wintering Locations Of Broad-Winged Hawks Tracked By Satellite Telemetry

During spring 2000, we captured five adult female Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus) in northcentral Minnesota and western Maryland and fitted them with satellite-received radio tags. The migrating hawks left their nesting areas about 10-15 September and moved south toward eastern Texas. They followed the Gulf Coast through Mexico and an inland course through Central America to their wintering areas. Mean fall migration distance for four hawks was about 7,000 km, and for three hawks the mean fall migration time was about 70 days and mean fall migration rate was about 100 km/day. Three hawks arrived on their wintering areas from about 15 October to 15 December. Wintering areas for four hawks were in Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, and Peru, between 08 degree 25' N, 80 degree 54' W and 11 degree 00' S, 67 degree 07' W. We tracked one hawk for her entire spring migration, and two hawks showed fidelity to their nest areas.