The Sparrowhawk – Accipiter nisus - a photo on Flickriver

The Sparrowhawk is a relatively small bird of prey adapted for hunting smaller birds in confined spaces like dense woodland, so gardens are ideal hunting grounds for them. Adult male sparrowhawks have bluish-grey back and wings and orangey-brown bars on their chest and belly. Females and young birds have brown back and wings, and brown bars underneath. Sparrowhawks have bright yellow or orangey eyes, long, yellow legs and long talons. As with most birds of prey the females are larger than males.

Their territories are well spaced – pairs do not tolerate another nest close by. The distance between each nest varies ranges from 0.5 km to 2.1 km. This is determined by the local food supply – the better the food supply, the smaller each territory will be. The nest is usually built in lower parts of the canopy, close to the trunk of a tree and usually concealed from view. It is a sturdy platform of twigs, lined with bark flakes. A central ‘cup’ prevents the eggs from rolling out. Nest building can take several weeks and is often completed long before the eggs are laid.

Sparrowhawk facts; Because of the size difference, male sparrowhawks court the females with caution, as the female can (and sometimes does) kill her suitor.

Sparrowhawk chicks hatch when there are plenty of fledgling small birds around, in the same way that blue tits synchronise their breeding to coincide with the peak availability of caterpillars. Three to six eggs are laid at two-day intervals during May. Incubation lasts for 32-35 days and the eggs hatch in succession over two or more days, so that the chicks are different sizes. The female helps the chicks to break out of their shell. They are covered in pure white short down, and their eyes are already partly open when they hatch. Succesive hatching is an adaptation to cope with an unpredictable food supply. If food is short, the youngest chick will die and reduce the brood to a manageable size.

A Sparrowhawks diet mainly consists of small birds and the occasional rodent. 120 different species of prey have been recorded. Males can catch birds up to thrush size, but females, being bigger, can catch birds up to pigeon size. Some sparrowhawks have adapted their hunting habits to catch bats.

Sparrowhawk facts; Their usual flying speed is around 30-40 kph, but a sparrowhawk is capable of up to 50 kph in short bursts.

There have been concerns in the past that sparrowhawks eat too many small birds and cause their population to fall or even become extinct, however long-term scientific studies have shown that sparrowhawks generally have no or little impact on songbird populations. It is worth remembering that sparrowhawks and songbirds have existed side by side for thousands of years without any detrimental effect on songbird numbers.

Read more at www.wildonline.blog

Taken in: UK / England / Ogbourne St. George / Southend, Wiltshire (show map)

Taken on: September 19, 2025

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