Column: Maybe They Should Be Called "Zebra-tailed Hawks"

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • July 29, 2026

We hate to be the ones to say this, but could you think of a bird name that’s more boring than this: broad-winged hawk? What does the non-birder imagine when they hear that? Maybe a large, eagle-sized bird with wings as wide as a door? Or do they wonder whether most hawks have narrow wings—this particular “broad-winged” species just really stands out? One of the greatest marvels of broad-winged hawks is their migration. We enjoy them here in summer but by late August or early September, most will have begun flying south. Unlike most other hawks, broad-wings like to migrate in large flocks. Sometimes these flocks number in the thousands, providing an unparalleled spectacle of abundance. Single daily counts of migrating broad-winged hawks in south Texas have numbered over 250,000 and in Veracruz, Mexico, over 500,000. We’ve only got them here in Maine for a few more weeks. Enjoy them while you can! ~ Jeff and Allison Wells