Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Males and females differ greatly: the small male has orange-red barred underparts, the much larger female mainly brown barring. The sparrowhawk hunts with lightning-fast surprise attacks, chasing its prey with agile flight through dense woodland or between buildings.
- Group
- Birds of Prey
- Photos
- 6
- Taken
- 2018–2025
Profile: Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Family
- Hawks, eagles and kites (Accipitridae)
- Size
- approx. 29–41 cm (females markedly larger)
- Wingspan
- approx. 58–80 cm
- Weight
- approx. 105–290 g
- Habitat
- Woods with dense conifer stands for nesting, preferably spruce and larch; increasingly also near settlements and in parks and gardens.
- Diet
- Mainly small and medium-sized birds up to about pigeon size, taken in surprise attacks; occasionally small mammals.
- When to see
- Seen year-round; birds from northern Europe move south in winter, while more southerly populations stay. In winter it often hunts in settlements, including at feeding stations.
Learn more: Wikipedia · NABU (German)