The Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk is an endangered subspecies of the Broad-winged Hawk that occurs only on the island of Puerto Rico, and exhibits a limited geographic range. This non-migratory endemic is darker and around 20% smaller than its mainland counterpart. The Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk was once common in the interior montane forests of the island, and traditionally occurred in low densities in limestone forests and mature closed canopies found in Sierra de Luquillo, Sierra de Cayey, the Central Mountain Range and the moist north-central karst region surrounding the Rio Abajo State Forest. A decline in population wasn’t noticeable until Dr. Carlos Delannoy’s island-wide study in 1992, which suggested a very low estimate of 124 individuals and found they were restricted to three disjunct montane forests. This led to their federal listing as endangered in 1994.

Field biologist taking notes in the field

Nadia Swanson

Puerto Rico's Raptors are Declining

Our Solutions

In 2021, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources asked The Peregrine Fund to begin conducting an island-wide distribution and abundance study on the Broad-winged Hawk.  The results of our initial pilot study survey indicate that the population declined by a stunning 82% between 2016 and 2021, likely driven by Hurricane Maria. During the following 2022 field season, we observed only 52 individuals. This subspecies is at imminent risk of extinction and urgent research and conservation investments are needed.  

Three field crew members in the field in Puerto Rico

Melissa Murillo

Our Solutions

During the 2022 assessment, we were able to establish a baseline understanding of where Broad-winged Hawks occur on the island, and importantly, to develop strong working relationships with private landowners and forest managers where it occurs. Along with these relationships, we were able to secure permits and authorizations from state and federal agencies to monitor this unique hawk. 

Young hawks in a nest

Mike Morel

Our Solutions

The critical next steps for saving this subspecies from extinction will be to advance our understanding of its population status and ecology. To do this, we will need to continue monitoring the population to determine with more precision how many territorial pairs exist and to assess whether the population continues to decline. With additional funding, we hope to launch full conservation efforts similar to those we have established with the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. Our goals would be to find and monitor nests closely throughout the breeding season in order to provide important information on breeding, behavior, diet, competition, and threats. In addition, we will band nestling hawks, which is the first step towards monitoring dispersal and survival, key attributes of species’ population biology. This in-depth approach to studying the Broad-winged Hawk will help us develop a recovery strategy, making our impact efficient and effective. 

Back to Puerto Rico Program Home