Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Spurvehøgen er en relativt lille rovfugl. Den er fredet i Danmark.
Small built for woodland hunting: short, broad, rounded wings, a long square-ended tail and closely barred underparts. The male is slate-grey above with rufous barring, the larger female brown-grey with brown bars.
Can be confused with
- Northern Goshawk — Goshawk is far bulkier — the female buzzard-sized — with a deeper chest, longer wings and a rounded tail corner; the Sparrowhawk is slimmer with a square-ended tail and quicker wingbeats.
- Common Kestrel — Kestrel has pointed wings and hangs hovering over open country; the Sparrowhawk has rounded wings, never hovers, and hunts in low surprise dashes along hedges.
Plumage and variation
Male and female: The male slate-grey above with rufous barring below; the female larger, brown-grey above with brown barring. The size gap lets the pair hunt different prey.
Juvenile: Juvenile is warm brown above with rusty fringes and coarser, blotchy barring below.
Behaviour
A surprise hunter: short stays on hidden perches broken by low, cover-hugging attacks, the short wings and long tail giving extreme agility between trees. Flight is flap-flap-glide in an undulating rhythm. Takes small birds in wood and town alike — feeders included.
When and where
A common breeder with about 4,000 pairs, mostly in conifer stands; vulnerable on the Danish Red List and protected.
Facts
Wingspan
67 cm
Conservation status
ikke truet
Relatives
Family
hawks, kites and eagles
Accipitridae
Order
hawks and eagles
Accipitriformes
Know this bird? Share how you recognise it with other birders.
No field marks yet. Be the first to share how you recognise this bird!
Tap the ones that fit this bird.