Bird Guide

Eurasian Sparrowhawk vs Sharp-shinned Hawk

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

Recording: Sonothèque ADVL · CC0
Photo: caroline legg · CC BY 4.0
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Medium131 gForest

This is a small Accipiter hawk, with males 23 to 30 cm (9.1 to 11.8 in) long, with a wingspan of 42 to 58 cm (17 to 23 in) and weight from 82–115 g (2.9–4.1 oz). As common in Accipiter hawks, females are distinctly larger in size, averaging some 30% longer, and with a weight advantage of more than 50% being common. The female measures 29 to 37 cm (11 to 15 in) in length, has a wingspan of 58 to 68 cm (23 to 27 in) and weighs 150 to 219 g (5.3 to 7.7 oz). The wings measure 14.1–22.9 cm (5.6–9.0 in) each, the tail is 12–19 cm (4.7–7.5 in) long and the tarsus is 4.5–5.9 cm (1.8–2.3 in).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Troy B, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Troy B · cc-by

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk.