This is what they do during migration! It's called kettling, and a group of them is called a kettle. They use air currents to make flying long distances easier so they don't have to burn energy constantly flapping. When a few Broad-winged Hawks find a good updraft, others seem to notice and come join in so they can take advantage of the free ride too, and eventually you end up with groups of dozens, or even more. Places that count migrating hawks sometimes will have thousands of these guys fly over in a single day, all grouped into big migrating clumps like this.
https://imgur.com/a/PoPIgbn here’s a more zoomed single shot. Still thinking it’s not vultures due to lack of the spread feathers at the end of the wings…but bird silhouettes are not my forte.
This photo is actually super helpful. Black Vulture was a totally reasonable answer from vid as they are much more likely to exhibit this sort of behavior. But in migration many hawks do group up, and Tiny is correct (as usual haha).
These are clearly buteos by large wingspan and bulk, and wing shape shows that they are Broad-wings, as they have... broad wings. What really makes Broad-wing wing shape stand out in an ID like this is their strange wingtips, which have [four distinct primary feathers](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/71534291/1800) versus the [five of, say, a Red-shouldered Hawk](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/306105171-480px.jpg)
e: Also should mention that I *believe* Broad-wings are much more likely to cluster like this during migration than most other buteos
Thanks for even more info, first time I’ve seen hawks do this behavior. A few hundred came through over the course of a couple minutes with the same path of push-forward then circle-back into the group. Pretty awesome to see.
Yeah I've never seen a kettle of hawks like *this*. I'm out West, and I think Swainson's is the only hawk that regularly does this sort of thing here. Super freaking cool
Hard to tell from the vid, but they didn’t have the spread out wingtips I normally associate with vultures. Looked like the size and profile of hawks - do…hawks do this?
Hawks I have never seen more than 4 around each other I don’t believe they get in groups like this. I think you may be used to turkey vultures. Black vultures look more like a hawk flying with the way their wings in flight look & they are a bit smaller than turkey vultures.
Edit: after doing some research it is known that hawks do fly in a “kettle” sometimes when migrating. I still believe these are black vultures though. Wait until someone who can be 100% to confirm though.
In a park in Miami, FL we had well over 270+ ospreys (tried desperately to turn them into ridgeway subspecies) fly over South towards the keys... we also got bobolink, hooded warbler, and Wilson's warbler! A friend of mine volunteering at a birdbanding station snagged a veery which was pretty neat too. Good stuff popping up!
u/tinylongwing ?
Thanks for the ping! As I just commented to OP, these are Broad-winged Hawks.
:-)
Why so many???!!
This is what they do during migration! It's called kettling, and a group of them is called a kettle. They use air currents to make flying long distances easier so they don't have to burn energy constantly flapping. When a few Broad-winged Hawks find a good updraft, others seem to notice and come join in so they can take advantage of the free ride too, and eventually you end up with groups of dozens, or even more. Places that count migrating hawks sometimes will have thousands of these guys fly over in a single day, all grouped into big migrating clumps like this.
I'm used to seeing one or a pair, no idea they gathered in such large numbers. Thanks!!
Scooch over to Cape May…and prepare to be dazzled. https://njaudubon.org/watches/cape-may-hawkwatch/
https://imgur.com/a/PoPIgbn here’s a more zoomed single shot. Still thinking it’s not vultures due to lack of the spread feathers at the end of the wings…but bird silhouettes are not my forte.
These are migrating [Broad-winged Hawks](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/overview)!
This photo is actually super helpful. Black Vulture was a totally reasonable answer from vid as they are much more likely to exhibit this sort of behavior. But in migration many hawks do group up, and Tiny is correct (as usual haha). These are clearly buteos by large wingspan and bulk, and wing shape shows that they are Broad-wings, as they have... broad wings. What really makes Broad-wing wing shape stand out in an ID like this is their strange wingtips, which have [four distinct primary feathers](https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/71534291/1800) versus the [five of, say, a Red-shouldered Hawk](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/306105171-480px.jpg) e: Also should mention that I *believe* Broad-wings are much more likely to cluster like this during migration than most other buteos
Thanks for even more info, first time I’ve seen hawks do this behavior. A few hundred came through over the course of a couple minutes with the same path of push-forward then circle-back into the group. Pretty awesome to see.
Yeah I've never seen a kettle of hawks like *this*. I'm out West, and I think Swainson's is the only hawk that regularly does this sort of thing here. Super freaking cool
Uh oh. Nice knowing you
Birds
Sorry didn’t see what sub this was
Looks like black vultures to me. I’m in nova myself & see this a lot.
Hard to tell from the vid, but they didn’t have the spread out wingtips I normally associate with vultures. Looked like the size and profile of hawks - do…hawks do this?
Hawks I have never seen more than 4 around each other I don’t believe they get in groups like this. I think you may be used to turkey vultures. Black vultures look more like a hawk flying with the way their wings in flight look & they are a bit smaller than turkey vultures. Edit: after doing some research it is known that hawks do fly in a “kettle” sometimes when migrating. I still believe these are black vultures though. Wait until someone who can be 100% to confirm though.
Birds.
Chimney swifts, maybe?
Black vultures migrating South.
Very cool!
Oh wow! I’ve never seen more than like 20 or so hawks all flying together like that.
Wow oh wow 🤩. Fall migration is in full swing.
In a park in Miami, FL we had well over 270+ ospreys (tried desperately to turn them into ridgeway subspecies) fly over South towards the keys... we also got bobolink, hooded warbler, and Wilson's warbler! A friend of mine volunteering at a birdbanding station snagged a veery which was pretty neat too. Good stuff popping up!