The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies.It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide.
Also known as “kettles,” flocks can contain thousands of circling birds that evoke a vast cauldron being stirred with an invisible spoon. Staying around the edges of forest, Broad-wings are often not very noticeable during the breeding season, but they form spectacular concentrations when they migrate.

A small hawk, common in eastern woodlands in summer. Thousands of birders gather to watch the annual fall migration of broad-winged hawks. This bird made hawk-watching famous.

One of the greatest spectacles of migration is a swirling flock of Broad-winged Hawks on their way to South America.

Also known as “kettles,” flocks can contain thousands of circling birds that evoke a vast cauldron being stirred with an invisible spoon. One of the greatest spectacles of migration is a swirling flock of Broad-winged Hawks on their way to South America.