Accipiter gentilis - Northern Goshawk
Feather characters. Barbules are extremely long (2.6-3.2 mm), filamentous and entangled. Barbules contain stippled pigment of variable concentrations. Occasionally no pigment is found. Slightly thickened nodes (11-14 per mm) are located on proximal end of barbules. Over a short distance these nodes abruptly decrease in size. Further along the barbule, nodal structures are too small to qualify as nodes. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Minute prongs are mostly located on proximal end of barbules on both sides of the pennulum. Occasionally prongs are asymmetric.
Field characters. Length 48-62 cm; wingspan 98-117 cm. Weight: male 912 g (735-1099), female 1137 g (845-1364) (Dunning, 1993). Male resembles a very large female Sparrowhawk but with heavier breast, relatively longer wings, slightly shorter tail and more powerful flight. Female much larger than male. Upperparts of male blue-grey; a conspicuous whitish supercilium separates dark crown and ear coverts; underparts whitish, barred with dark grey and with conspicuous white vent and undertail-coverts. Female is more brown-grey above and has less contrast in face than male. Juvenile and immature with brown upperparts and pale buff underparts streaked with brown spots, not barred. Hunts with great speed for birds, thereby manoeuvring with great skill amongst trees and being able to perform abrupt turns.
Voice. A shrill, chattering 'gek-gek-gek-gek'; female has a Buzzard-like scream 'hee-aa'.
Distribution. Fairly common resident. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Confined to forested and wooded regions, favouring areas interspersed with fields.
Food. Hunts generally for prey by swift and aggressive pursuit flight, catching prey in flight, on nest, branches, or on the ground. Once caught, prey is brought to cover and eaten on ground or on branch. Because of size difference between sexes, prey taken by females is considerably larger than prey captured by males. Highly diverse diet: grouse, partridges, pheasant, pigeons, crows, thrushes, mammals (rabbit, red squirrel).