northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

 

IDENTIFICATION

• Length: 19 inches Wingspan: 42 inches

• Sexes similar, but females much larger

• Medium-sized, broad-winged, long-tailed hawk

• Short, dark, hooked beak

• Rounded wings

• Long tail rounded at tip

• Flies with several flaps and short glide, also soars frequently

• Short, dark, hooked beak

• Long, very thick tarsi appear short at rest

Adult:

• Red eye

• Blackish head and face with bold white supercilium

• Gray back and upperwings

• Pale gray chin, throat, breast, underwing coverts and belly finely     vermiculate

• White undertail coverts

• Tail dark blue-gray above and pale below, barred with dark bands

• Flight feathers dark blue-gray above and pale below, barred with               black

Immature:

• Yellow eye

• Brown head with bold white supercilium

• Brown back and upperwings

• White belly boldly streaked with black to undertail coverts

• Tail, brown above and pale below, marked by jagged bars edged nar-          rowly in white

Similar species:

Adults unmistakable when seen well; at a distance, goshawks distinctively
combine the large size of a buteo and the broad-winged, long-tailed shape
and quick wingbeats of accipiters. Immature northern goshawks are similar
in shape and patterning to immature Cooper's, but are much larger, with
proportionately shorter tails, bulkier bodies and thicker black streaking
extending all the way to the undertail coverts. Sharp-shinned hawks are
typically much smaller, with shorter, squared-off tails and shorter heads
that do not project as far when flying. Immature red-shouldered hawk has
pale crescents in the wing and a shorter tail.

 

LIFE HISTORY

Migration Status: Permanent resident
Breeding Habitat:WoodlandNest
Location:N/A
Nest Type:N/A
Clutch Size:2-4
Length of Incubation: 36-38 days
Days to Fledge:35-42
Number of Broods:1
Diet: Primarily birds; lesser quantities of small mammals

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION/SEASONAL OCCURRENCE

 

Relative abundance and seasonal occurrence are indicated in red below.

 

Relative abundance
     C - Common: Likely to be present in good numbers in appropriate habitat and season.
     U - Uncommon: May be present in appropriate habitat and season, often in low
            numbers.
     O - Occassional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times per season,
            sometimes low numbers.
     R - Rare: May not be recorded every year.
     Acc - Accidental: Recorded once or twice, may not be expected again for a long time.

 

Seasonal Occurrence
      Sp - Spring: March, April, May
      Su - Summer: June, July, August
      Fall: September, October, November R

      Winter: December, January, February

 

 

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