Forestry & Wildlife

*This is an excerpt from Common Birds of Prey of Alabama, ANR – 1386.

With similar habitat preferences to the red-shouldered hawk, the broad-winged hawk can sometimes be difficult to distinguish, but several characteristics set it apart. First, broad-winged hawks are only present in the United States during the summer, while red-shouldered hawks are present year round. Another distinguishing feature is the dark borders on the trailing side of the broad-winged hawks’ wings. Their tails are also shorter than that of the red-shouldered hawk, and the tail typically has only one broad white band as opposed to the several thin white bands on red-shouldered hawks’ tails.

Read here to learn more about common birds of prey of Alabama.

Download a PDF of Common Birds of Prey of Alabama, ANR – 1386.