Our Puerto Rico Program is known primarily for its work with the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk, but the program is not limited to this single raptor. In 2022, The Peregrine Fund conducted an island-wide distribution and abundance survey for another endemic and endangered subspecies of raptor, the Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk (pictured below). The team was concerned by what they found: an alarming 80% decline in observations compared to a study conducted less than a decade ago. (This research took place shortly before the island was battered by Hurricane Maria in 2017.)

“Island endemics are often at higher risk of extinction because they have little space and ability to adapt to quickly changing environments,” notes our Puerto Rico Program Director Hana Weaver. “Habitat loss, fragmentation, and other factors driven by climate change are likely threats facing the species.” But very little is known for certain, and a critical first step for our team will be to learn more about what specific threats are causing the Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk’s decline.

Beginning in early December 2024, we initiated work to learn more, with support from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, our board member Victor Gonzalez, and our local community partner Casa Pueblo. Throughout the next six months, a small team will be surveying, searching, and monitoring breeding pairs of Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawks in the northern karst area of Puerto Rico. (Team members Skyler Bol and Fabián Feliciano-Rivera are pictured at top below.)

It’s still very early, but the team’s preliminary findings show reasons for hope. “We were surprised to observe Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawks at more survey points than we were expecting,” reports International Programs Conservation Biologist Julio Gallardo. “And at some, we observed one or two juveniles flying with adults or staying in the same area, suggesting that breeding activity has not yet started and juvenile dispersal is still ongoing.” (Two Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawks found during these surveys are seen above, an adult at lower left and an immature at lower right.) The team also reports that, seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island, the forest appears to be recovering nicely, likely resulting in more suitable habitat. “The frequent sightings of juveniles, and the forest recovering, give us hope for the future of this endangered and endemic raptor."

As the season progresses, our Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk team will assist with accessing nests, banding nestling Broad-winged Hawks, and importantly, developing other conservation solutions. This teamwork is perhaps the team’s biggest source of optimism. “One of the most significant features of this project is going to be our ability to immediately begin addressing specific threats,” says Hana. “The number of hawks left on the island is staggeringly low, and we are prepared to use the knowledge perfected on the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk project to conserve as many Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawks as possible. We’re expecting to face many new challenges, and we’re ready to address them with creative and effective solutions.”