FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE 205 



Winter visitor from the north and passage migrant. Common; 

 found throughout the mainland ; recorded on Isla Coiba, and on islas 

 Taboga, Taboguilla, Urava, Gobemadora and Cebaco. 



The broad-wing apparently is averse to long flights over water, 

 as though it passes regularly in migration into South America as far 

 as northern and eastern Venezuela, to reach these regions it moves 

 over land through Central America and Colombia. It has not been 

 recorded to date for the Archipielago de las Perlas, though it crosses 

 islands immediately adjacent to the mainland. In 5 weeks in the 

 field on Isla Coiba I recorded only half a dozen. 



These hawks appear from the north in October and remain until 

 April. Early dates of arrival are October 7, 1953, near Pacora (speci- 

 men in U. S. National Museum), October 12 to 14, 1942, flights over 

 Chorrera (T. A. Imhof, notes), October 19, 1929, Perme, San Bias 

 (Griscom, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 72, 1932, p. 313). The main 

 flight northward from wintering grounds in South America passes 

 through the isthmus during the month of March. On March 31, 

 1950, I observed hundreds near Chimin, and on April 1, 1955, I 

 recorded numbers mingled with a great flight of Swainson's hawks 

 over Pedro Miguel. The major migration ends abruptly. A few late 

 records for single birds during April are as follows : April 4, 1946, at 

 Jaque, Darien ; April 6, 1950, Barro Colorado Island ; April 19, 1901, 

 near Boquete, Chiriqui (Bangs, Proc. New England Zool. Club, vol. 

 3, 1902, p. 20). 



One banded in Maine July 5, 1938, was taken the following De- 

 cember near Los Santos. 



Though groups of broad-wings often move alone, the major flights 

 usually are in company with Swainson's hawks and follow the pattern 

 described for that bird. The total number, however, is less than that 

 of the larger species, and on the whole the broad-wing movement 

 is less spectacular. Those that remain on the isthmus during the 

 northern winter are spread singly through forested areas, including 

 lines of trees through cultivated lands, and older stands of second 

 growth. Sometimes they may come out briefly to soar in the com- 

 pany of native hawks, but usually they are seen perched among open 

 branches, in or below the tree crown. In the mountains in the cool 

 air of early morning often they are seen resting in the sun in dead 

 trees standing in the pastures. Birds taken in March for specimens 

 may be heavy with fat. 



In Panama these hawks feed extensively on large Orthoptera and 

 to some degree on lizards. They appear regularly on freshly burned 

 lands, and then become so much blackened that they may be difficult 



