Northern Goshawk

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Northern Goshawk

	Scientific name: Accipiter gentilis
	Family name: Accipitridae
	Are they endangered? No, they are not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red list: Least concern) Even though these birds aren’t considered threatened on the world level, they are endangered in places like the U.S. (New Jersey).
	What are their past/present problems? They used to be shot by farmers and hunters. The danger to these birds is the loss of large forest areas to development and logging.
	What do they look like? Northern Goshawks have blue gray feathers on their backs, red eyes, and chests and bellies that are white with gray spots. They have a gray and white ‘head band’ around their heads.

How big are they? The female lays 3-4 off-white eggs once a year. They take from 3-4 weeks to hatch.

How many eggs do they lay? The female lays 3-4 off-white eggs once a year. They take from 3-4 weeks to hatch.

How long do the fledglings stay in the nest? Their nests are made of sticks, bark, grass, and feathers. They build them where two branches come together or in the trunk of the tree. The babies will stay in the nest about 6 weeks.

When do they hunt? Northern Goshawks hunt during the day. (diurnal)

What do they eat? They like to eat snowshoe hare, rodents (MICE), birds, and small mammals.

Where do they live? Northern Goshawks live in Europe, North America, Asia, Central America, and Africa.

What kind of place do they like to live in? They like any kind of forest but like evergreen ones more than other kinds.

Interesting facts:

	They are daring and fearless. This, and the fact that they fly very fast, is the reason they are great birds for falconry. In the past they have been used as a symbol of power.
	It will attack people if they get too close to their nest.
	They will migrate when there is nothing to eat in their habitat.