Date: 5/3/26 9:38 am From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Broad-winged Hawk
Nebraska birders,
On the morning of May 02, Rita Cunha, Bill Flack and I birded the Fort Kearny hike/bike trail from the south end in the Recreation Area. While we were on the south bridge, Bill spotted a Broad-winged Hawk soaring overhead. The three of us watched the hawk soar for a few minutes. From below, it looked like a small, dark morph buteo. When the hawk banked, showing its back, I could see that it was a Broad-winged Hawk.
From below, its body and wing coverts were dark brown. The flight feathers were light-colored. The trailing edge of the wings was black. I could not see bands on its tail from below but when it banked, I could see a black and a white band on the top side of its tail. We were able to watch it circle several times and drift off to the north.
I read that dark morph Broad-winged Hawks are rare but they migrate through Nebraska at this time of the year.
