Goshawk vs Golden Eagle

The Goshawk is a strong bird of prey, about the size of a crow, with a noticeable look among British birds of prey. Adult birds have blue-grey feathers on their backs and finely striped feathers underneath. They have a clear white stripe above their sharp orange-red eyes. Their long tail has dark stripes and a white band at the end. When flying, they show a typical pattern of flapping their wings twice and then gliding, with wide, rounded wings. The Goshawk lives in Britain but is quite rare. It is mostly found in mature pine and mixed forests, especially in Wales, northern England, and Scotland. It is a secretive hunter in the forest, chasing prey with great skill through thick tree cover. It hunts birds up to the size of pigeons and small mammals like squirrels. The best time to see Goshawks is during the spring, when they perform display flights above their woodland areas. During these flights, pairs of birds do dramatic, wave-like dances in the sky. At other times, they are very hard to spot, as they stay hidden within the forest all year round.

The Golden Eagle is a large, strong bird of prey with dark brown feathers and distinctive golden-coloured feathers on the head and back of the neck. Adults are between 75 and 90 centimetres long, with wingspans reaching up to 2.2 metres. When flying, they hold their long wings in a shallow V shape, with spread-out primary feathers at the tips and a broad, slightly rounded tail. Young birds have white patches near the base of their wings and a white tail with a dark band at the end. In the UK, Golden Eagles are mostly found in the Scottish Highlands and nearby islands. There are small numbers in southern Scotland, and there have been efforts to reintroduce them in southern England. They prefer open upland areas like moorland, mountainous regions, and remote valleys. They need large open spaces to hunt and cliffs or old trees to build their nests. Golden Eagles hunt animals such as mountain hares and rabbits, as well as birds like grouse. They also feed on dead animals when available.