goshawk

Woodland hawk similar in appearance to the peregrine falcon, but with shorter wings and legs. It is native to most of Europe, Asia, and North America, and is used in falconry. The male is much smaller than the female. It is ash grey on the upper part of the body and whitish underneath with brown horizontal stripes; it has a dark head and cheeks with a white stripe above the eye. The tail has dark bands across it. (Species Accipiter gentilis, order Falconiformes.)

Goshawks lay up to five eggs in nests in mature woodland. The incubation period is 35–42 days. Males weigh around 700–750 g, whereas the larger females can weigh up to 2 kg.

Goshawks feed on a wide variety of prey – a 1998 British study identified more than 3,000 prey items – ranging from small chaffinches to larger prey, such as rabbits, squirrels, rooks, jays, woodpigeons, and even buzzards.