Eurasian Sparrowhawk

It looks smaller than a goshawk.

Scientific name	Accipiter nisus
English name	Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Japanese name	灰鷹
Classification	Aves
Classification details	Accipitriformes Accipitidae
Full length	32-39cm
Distribution	Distributed in Eurasia. In Japan, it is often seen north of Honshu.

Characteristics

A hawk of the genus Accipiter, slightly smaller than the Northern Goshawk.

The back of the body is brown, and the underside has brown horizontal stripes all over. The iris is yellow and the area around the eyes is white.

How to distinguish it from the Northern Goshawk.

The body appears to be more than one size smaller than the Northern Goshawk, and the fifth flight feather (P5) is prominent, so it can be judged by combining several points.

The cry of the Sparrowhawk

It cries with a sharp "kikkikkik".

Ecology

It can be found on flat land such as forests and rivers. It keeps other birds and catches small animals on the ground.

Habitat

Midstream of Tama River

It flew in from the opposite bank on a warm winter afternoon. It circled the sky several times before returning.

It looked smaller than a carrion crow, so I thought it might be a goshawk. After taking a photo, I identified it as a goshawk based on its distinguishing features.

It appears on sunny days when the temperature rises. When a goshawk appears, the small birds in the reeds suddenly become quiet.