Goshawk

 

The goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is present all the year round in upland forested areas of northern and southern Scotland and northern England. A very efficient killer, it swoops through trees to take its prey unawares, killing its prey with its powerful claws. It is often trained as a captive falcon.

Adult males and females are similar in appearance to female sparrowhawks, but are considerably larger. One difference is that, unlike the sparrowhawk, they have a whitish streak running from the eye to the ear coverts. The overall plumage is brown on top and light-coloured with darker bars underneath. Male goshawks are up to 20 inches (50 cm) in size, and the larger females up to 24 inches (60 cm).

Goshawks take larger prey than sparrowhawks, such as wood pigeons, crows, rats and hares.

The wing strokes are usually long and slow in their display flight. When hunting, goshawks fly swiftly and surely between trees.

Goshawk nests are substantial platforms of sticks, lined with green leaves or pine needles. 3 to 5 eggs are laid, usually in April or May. Incubation, almost entirely by the female, takes upwards of five weeks. The chicks are fed at first on morsels of food brought to the nest by the male but given to them by the female. As the chicks grow and demand more food, both parents provide it.

© John Welford