This hawk was behaving strangely, perching with wings outstretched or positioned oddly, and allowing close approaches. The blue eyes seemed unusual and remarkable.
Florida bird expert Andy Kratter wrote: It looks like a juv. Swainson's Hawk. The long wings, extensive tear-drop shaped spots on underparts, broad dark malars are good for that species, which can be hard to identify when perched. I would guess that it is injured or malnourished , as they prefer open country and do not regularly perch within trees.
It has also been suggested this is an immature Broad-winged Hawk, and that seems likely to me now as I have seen many immatures with similar frontal markings.
Anguilla,Antigua and Barbuda,Argentina,Belize,Bolivia,Brazil,Canada,Colombia,Costa Rica,Cuba, Dominica,Ecuador - mainland,El Salvador,French Guiana,Guatemala,Guyana,Honduras,Mexico,Nicaragua,Panama, Peru,Puerto Rico,Saint Lucia,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,Suriname,Trinidad and Tobago,United States - mainland,Venezuela,
IOC 13.1 Subspecies
Group
Subspecies
Breeding Range
platypterus
c, se Canada and e USA
cubanensis
Cuba
brunnescens
Puerto Rico
insulicola
Antigua I. (Lesser Antilles)
rivierei
Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia (Lesser Antilles)
{Northern migrant}. A medium-sized hawk that is relatively common and often returns yearly to the same spot. Broad-winged hawks migrate in 'kettles' of many hundreds, sometimes with [Turkey Vulture]s or [Swainson's Hawk]s. Immatures have drop shaped vertical spotting, while adults are barred horizontally.
Africa (entire continent rather than south of Sahara)
AN
Antarctica
AO
Atlantic Ocean
AU
Australasia (Wallacea (Indonesian islands east of Wallace's line), New Guinea and its islands, Australia, New Zealand and its subantarctic islands, the Solomons, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu)
PAL
Eurasia (Europe, Asia from the Middle East through central Asia north of the Himalayas, Siberia and northern China to Japan)
IO
Indian Ocean
LA
Latin America (Middle and South America)
MA
Middle America (Mexico through Panama)
NA
North America (includes the Caribbean)
NO
Northern oceans
OR
Oriental Region (South Asia from Pakistan to Taiwan, plus Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Greater Sundas)