- Life expectancy
- Global status
Identification
Relatively short, broad wings and a long tail help it manoeuvre between trees. The pale supercilium is striking. Compared with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk, the goshawk is more powerfully built; females are clearly larger than males.
Colours
Adult · Normal
Grey head with pale supercilium; pale underparts with dense dark barring.
Isabelline goshawks are a very rare beige colour aberration, known mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. The white morph belongs to the north-east Asian subspecies albidus, which also includes pale grey birds. The two plumage types are not sex variants.
Behaviour
The goshawk often lives inconspicuously in cover. During courtship in late winter it becomes more visible with conspicuous flight displays. Established pairs are faithful to their territory and can use it for many years.
Breeding & rearing
The nest is usually in a high fork of a tree. At about six weeks the young can fly, but they are fed for some time before leaving the parental territory.
