True Hawks

Sparrowhawks and Goshawks The genus Accipiter comprises agile woodland hawks characterised by their distinctive hunting strategy and build. These raptors possess relatively short, rounded wings and long tails, adaptations that enable remarkable manoeuvrability through dense vegetation when pursuing prey. Their flight pattern alternates between rapid wingbeats and gliding, particularly noticeable during hunting sorties through forest corridors. Accipiter species exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, with females noticeably larger than males. They are specialised bird-catchers, employing surprise attacks from concealed perches or low contour-hugging flights along hedgerows and woodland edges. Their yellow or orange eyes, long yellow legs, and barred underparts are common features across the genus. Most species are strongly associated with wooded habitats, from dense coniferous forests to parkland with scattered trees, where they nest in the canopy