{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "eurasian-sparrowhawk",
  "name": "Eurasian Sparrowhawk",
  "scientificName": "Accipiter nisus",
  "category": "Bird",
  "summary": "The Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is a small, fast hawk of Europe and Asia that ambushes small birds, including at garden feeders. Males are slate-grey above with orange-barred underparts; females are brown-grey and up to about twice as heavy. It is 29–41 cm long with a wingspan of 59–80 cm. It recovered after pesticide declines in the 1950s and 1960s and is listed as Least Concern.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Identification",
      "body": "Sparrowhawks have short, rounded wings, a long, square-ended tail and long yellow legs. Adult males are blue-grey above with fine orange barring below and orange cheeks; females are larger, browner above and barred grey below with a pale stripe over the eye."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Ambush hunters",
      "body": "They hunt by surprise, flying fast and low along hedges or through gardens and snatching small birds before they can react. Males take tits, sparrows and finches; the larger females can catch thrushes and pigeons."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Recovery from pesticides",
      "body": "In the 1950s and 1960s organochlorine pesticides such as DDT thinned eggshells and poisoned adults, and sparrowhawks disappeared from much of eastern England. After the chemicals were restricted, the population recovered."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Status",
      "body": "BirdLife International lists the Eurasian sparrowhawk as Least Concern (2021), estimating 2 to 3.2 million mature birds and a stable trend. BTO data give a typical life expectancy of 4 years; the oldest ringed bird in Britain lived 17 years."
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Do sparrowhawks cause garden bird declines?",
      "answer": "Long-term studies, including by the BTO, have found little evidence that sparrowhawks cause declines in songbird populations; habitat change is a bigger factor."
    },
    {
      "question": "How do you tell a sparrowhawk from a kestrel?",
      "answer": "Sparrowhawks have short, rounded wings and dash through cover; kestrels have long, pointed wings and often hover over open ground."
    },
    {
      "question": "Why are female sparrowhawks bigger?",
      "answer": "Female sparrowhawks are up to about twice the weight of males. Different sizes let the pair hunt different-sized prey."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long do sparrowhawks live?",
      "answer": "Typically about 4 years once they reach breeding age; the oldest known, in Denmark, lived 20 years."
    }
  ],
  "sourceUpdate": null,
  "evidence": [],
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Aves",
    "order": "Accipitriformes",
    "family": "Accipitridae",
    "genus": "Accipiter"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.22,
    "lengthM": 0.41,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0,
    "lifespanYears": 4
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Accipiter nisus"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Small birds, from tits and finches to thrushes and pigeons"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Woodland, farmland with hedges, parks and gardens"
    },
    {
      "label": "Size",
      "value": "29–41 cm long; wingspan 59–80 cm"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "110–342 g; females much heavier than males"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Typically 4 years; oldest ringed bird in Britain 17 years"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Breeds across Europe and northern Asia and in north-west Africa; northern birds winter in southern Asia and north-east Africa.",
    "continents": [
      "Europe",
      "Asia",
      "Africa"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.",
      "url": "https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/eurasian-sparrowhawk-accipiter-nisus"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web: Accipiter nisus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Accipiter_nisus/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "BTO BirdFacts: Sparrowhawk. British Trust for Ornithology.",
      "url": "https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/sparrowhawk"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.",
      "url": "https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/eurasian-sparrowhawk/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/eurasian-sparrowhawk/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}