Buteo quadratus

† Buteo quadratus was an extinct Pleistocene hawk known from subfossil material from the Bahamas. As a member of the genus Buteo, it was a broad-winged soaring carnivore that likely hunted reptiles, small mammals, and birds in the island environment. Its relatively compact body proportions, implied by the species name 'quadratus' (square), may reflect insular adaptations. Human colonization of the Caribbean likely contributed to its extinction.