Bird Guide

Eurasian Sparrowhawk vs Ovambo Sparrowhawk

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

Medium221 gForest

The Eurasian sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey with short, broad wings and a long tail, both adaptations to manoeuvring through trees. Females can be up to 25% larger than males and weigh up to twice as much. Marked size difference in this direction is unusual in higher vertebrates but typical in birds of prey, and most marked in birds of prey which hunt other birds. The adult male is 29–34 cm (11–13 in) long, with a wingspan of 59–64 cm (23–25 in) and a mass of 110–196 g (3.9–6.9 oz).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Vains, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: caroline legg · CC BY 4.0
Ovambo Sparrowhawk (Accipiter ovampensis)

Ovambo Sparrowhawk

Accipiter ovampensis

Medium195 gShrubland

The Ovambo sparrowhawk is a small sparrowhawk with the typical broad winged, long-tailed shape of a member of the genus Accipiter. The adults have plain grey upperparts with white bars on the rump and white underparts which are finely barred with grey but with a plain white vent. The tail has three dark bars and a broad, dark subterminal band. The bill is black, contrasting with the red cere, the eyes are dark red and the legs are orange. There is a melanistic form which is all black except for the white barred flight feathers on the underwing.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Ovambo Sparrowhawk.