Birds of the Botanic Gardens

Broad-winged Hawk: Buteo platypterus; Local name: Chicken Hawk, Malfini;
Family: Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles)

Description: 35-41 cm (14-16 in) long, with wingspan of about 31-35 in; biggest hawk on the island; head, back and wings are darkish brown; underside of hawk is white with brown speckles; underwings white in flight; has short, dark, hooked bill of the raptor; tail is of medium length with white and brown bands across it, especially apparent in flight; has yellowish legs; feeds on small mammals, e.g. rats and mice, and on small snakes, lizards and birds; in Dominica, it is also known to prey on small chickens, hence its local name Chicken Hawk; usually seen soaring high overhead searching for prey, when its screech can occasionally be heard; sometimes seen on the taller trees on the hillside at the back of the Gardens; while Broad-winged Hawks are normally long distance migrants, the Caribbean subspecies is endemic.

References:
Arlington James, Stephen Durand and Bertrand Jno.Baptiste. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005
G.A. Gough, J.R. Sauer and M. Iliff. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, US Geological Survey, Laurel, MD. 2000 (www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov)
Peter Alden, et al. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida. Alfred Knopf, New York, 1998.
Wikipedia. Broad-winged Hawk. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Nov. 2006 (wikipedia.org)