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| Sparrowhawk | |
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| A female Eurasian sparrowhawk | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.) |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | Accipiter |
| Species: | A. nisus |
| Binomial name | |
| Accipiter nisus (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
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Breeding summer visitor Resident year-round Non-breeding winter visitor | |
The sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It has a wide distribution in Eurasia and north Africa.
The adult male sparrowhawk has a blue-grey back and wings. His chest and belly have thin orange stripes. Female and young sparrowhawks have brown backs and wings, with thin brown stripes. The female is up to 25% larger than the male. This is one of the biggest size differences in any bird species.
The sparrowhawk eats mostly small birds which live in woodland. It can be seen in any habitat and often hunts birds in town and city gardens. Male sparrowhawks eat smaller birds like tits, finches and sparrows. Females eat bigger birds like thrushes and starlings. They can kill birds weighing more than 500 grams (18 oz).
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