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Sparrowhawk

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                   iSparrowhawk
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                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Falconiformes
   Family:  Accipitridae
   Genus:   Accipiter
   Species: A. nisus

                                Binomial name

   Accipiter nisus
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

   The Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is a small bird of prey in the family
   Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as
   eagles, buzzards and harriers.

   It is a widespread species throughout the temperate and subtropical
   parts of the Old World. It is mainly resident, but birds from colder
   regions of north Europe and Asia migrate south for the winter, as far
   as North Africa and India.

   This species nests in trees, building a new nest each year. It hunts
   birds in woodland or cultivated areas, relying on surprise as it flies
   from a perch or hedge-hops to catch its prey unaware.

   This bird is a small raptor with short broad wings and a long tail,
   both adaptations to manoeuvring through trees. The male is 29-34 cm
   long with a 59-64 cm wingspan, and is slate-grey above and barred
   reddish below. The male was formerly called a musket, and the gun
   called a musket was named after the bird.

   The female is much larger at 35-41 cm length and a 67-80 cm wingspan.
   She is barred grey below, and can be confused with the similarly sized
   male Goshawk, but lacks the bulk of that species. The juvenile is brown
   above and barred brown below. The flight is a characteristic "flap –
   flap – glide".

   The New World species formerly known as the Sparrow Hawk (Falco
   sparverius) is now called the American Kestrel. The new name is
   preferable, since this bird is not an Accipiter hawk but a falcon.

Gallery

   In flight

   In flight

   Duelling with a crow

   Duelling with a crow

   In flight

   Male Sparrowhawk with House Sparrow kill

   Colour pattern from below (in black and white)
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrowhawk"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
