Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus), Parker Valley, La Paz County

This Broad-winged Hawk was discovered and photographed by David Vander Pluym on 14 May 2011

It has been a good spring for Broad-winged Hawks in the state, with multiple reports across the state and 3 reports for the Lower Colorado River Valley.

A second-year bird with gaps in the fligh feathers, from molt. Small size in the field, pale underwings with a dark border, white throat with streaking on the sides of the breast help to rule out other species of hawks.

14 May 2011, photo by David Vander Pluym