Broad of wing

Before I left Maine,  just down the road from the beaver pond, I saw this Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus, all fluffed up drying itself after a downpour:

When it deemed its feathers dry enough, off it flew:

Platypterus means broad-winged, and the aptness of the name is clear from the photo above. This part of the hawk’s name is shared with the sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, and two flies,  Sciapus platypterus  and Diogmites platypterus . If it reminds you of the word platypus, that is because platypus means ‘broad-footed’.

These small crow-sized hawks hunt by sitting on low branches, watching for prey on the ground. They in turn are preyed on by larger hawks, like the Red-tailed Hawk.

Here is what they sound like: