The Goshawk: Characteristics, Behavior And Habitat
The Holarctic Common Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is one of the most interesting birds of prey that fly over the Alps and the Apennines in Italy. This animal lives mainly in Eurasia and the United States, and is known for its great ability to fly in the woods.
Let’s find out more about the goshawk and its features.
Characteristics of the common goshawk
Of medium size, this bird is slightly smaller than the common buzzard. Its wingspan exceeds one meter in longitude in females, while males are slightly smaller.
The adult goshawk has a slightly reddish color even if it is characterized by the white breast with black stripes, similar to that of the sparrow hawk or the cuckoo, thanks to which it manages to camouflage itself and not be seen by its preys.
It is important to note that he has two white spots above his eyes and that these are yellow in color, although with age they turn red.
Habitat of the common goshawk
The goshawk is known because unlike other birds of prey, whose specialty is gliding in the great valleys, he is able to hunt in the dense brush. It has short wings with rounded ends and a long tail that acts as a rudder and serves for turning.
The goshawk can be found in dense woods, rarely seen flying in open fields. It lives throughout the northern hemisphere, mainly in medium-height forests where rodents and small birds live in abundance, its main prey.
This dietary habit made him one of the main protagonists of falconry in history. Within this practice it is considered a bird that is not easy to manage and is not recommended for beginners, who usually opt for Harris’s buzzard.
Behavior
The goshawk builds its nest in the trees, where the female lays one to five eggs and hatches them for more than a month. After birth, the chicks wait a month and a half before making their first flight. However, it is rare for more than two chicks to survive at a time, given the high demand for meat in the first months of life.
The goshawk usually hunts different types of birds, such as partridges, turtledoves or crows. It is also capable of hunting hares, squirrels or mice, as well as reptiles. This bird of prey hunts in ambush and is difficult to spot, both for its camouflage abilities and for its predilection for secluded places.
The goshawk scans and locates its prey from a raised point, after which it flies over them with extreme rapidity, calculating their trajectory. As for the other birds, it catches them in flight with its strong claws, causing them to die instantly with its grip. It usually consumes its prey at the very spot where it captured it.
Like other birds of prey, the goshawk is essential for the food chain of our forests. In fact it helps to control the rodent population and is very sensitive to rodent extermination carried out by the human being, among other things not necessary in his presence.
