YERAY SEMINARIO/WHITEHAWK BIRDING
Did You Know?
- There are six recognized subspecies of the Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Though rare, scientists have observed two females both laying eggs in the same nest and working together to incubate the eggs and care for the young
- To date, the oldest known Eurasian Sparrowhawk is more around 15 years old
How The Peregrine Fund is Helping
Though The Peregrine Fund doesn't work directly with Eurasian Sparrowhawks, our efforts in scientific research, habitat conservation, education, and community development help conserve raptors on a global scale. We also supply literature to researchers from our avian research library, which helps scientists around the world gather and share important information on raptor conservation. Our support of the Global Raptor Information Network gives raptor researchers tools to more efficiently conduct their own studies while contributing to a global program. It also provides citizen scientists a way to participate in raptor science and conservation.
Where They Live
This raptor can be found inhabiting a wide variety of habitats including forests, forest edges, riparian areas, and even in some areas close to human settlements, such as urban parks, farms, and villages.
Why They Need our Help
This beautiful raptor is categorized as a species of Least Concern. However, in the past, this species was heavily across Europe and large numbers of this species were killed. Thankfully, this situation is getting better and in many areas, this species' populations are increasing. However, they are still affected by loss of prey and changes to its habitat. Some individuals have died when colliding with man-made structures, such as wind turbines.
What They Eat
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk feeds primarily on other birds including small passerines, pigeons, jays, and even small grouse. It will also feed on small rodents. When on the hunt, they will spend time sitting in a tree and launching at prey as it passes nearby. They also hunt by flying from tree to tree, flushing passerines and then attempting to catch them in openings.
Nests, Eggs, and Young
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk builds its nest using dry twigs. These nests are often placed in the crown of a tree. Females will lay 3-6 white eggs with bold reddish-brown and brown spots. After they are laid, the female will be in charge of incubating the eggs while the male works hard to provide food for himself and for the female.
Eurasian Sparrowhawk and the World Center for Birds of Prey
The World Center for Birds of Prey offers fun ways to learn about birds of prey. The visitor center offers interactive displays, tours, interesting videos and a children's room with activities from coloring sheets to quizzes to costumes and a touch table - all available for the curious mind. We also have several different birds of prey on display year-around. Knowledgeable staff and volunteers are on hand to answer any questions you may have about Eurasian Sparrowhawks or any other birds of prey.
References:
Global Raptor Information Network. 2023. Species account: Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. Downloaded from http://www.globalraptors.org on 4 Jan. 2023
Meyburg, B.-U., J. S. Marks, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eurspa1.01
