Sparrowhawk
Quick facts
Common name: Sparrowhawk
Scientific name: Accipiter nisus
Length: 33 cm
Wingspan: 62 cm
Weight: Male 150 g Female 260 g
Colour: Adult males have slate-grey upperparts and fine rufous barring underneath. Females have brownish-grey upperparts and less rufous barring than the male. They have a more prominent white line above the eye. Both have yellow legs.
Average lifespan: 3 years
Information
Sparrowhawks prefer to nest in dense woodland and breed between May and July
Female sparrowhawks are about twice the weight of males
The male sparrowhawk does all the hunting, feeding both the young and the female while the chicks are young, though soon both parents begin to hunt
Sparrowhawks rely on the element of surprise and as such will often follow a regular route to get close to potential prey using fences, tree lines and other objects to travel behind, darting out at the last minute