Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)

OTHER NAMES: Chickenhawk 

Latin Etymology: Accipiter ("to grasp") striatus ("striated")

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk (subspecies A. s. velox) at San Jose, California Septmeber 2022

Featured Subspecies: Accipiter striatus velox
Weight: 82-115g  /  Length:23-30cm  /  Wingspan: 42-58cm
NO UK STATUS/ IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A small raptor with a similar ecological niche to Sparrowhawks in Eurasia - that of agile hunter of small birds through dense foliage.  They are however, unlike most sparrowhawks in Europe, notably migratory in much of their range, with the majority of the inland population of Canada migrating South to the Southern United Sates, Mexico and Central America.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Accipiter
SUBSPECIES: A. s. fringilloides, A. s. striatus, A. s. venator, A. s. perobscurus, A. s. velox, A. s. suttoi, A. s. madrensis

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Found across most of the Lower 48 and Alaska
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at San Francisco

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Crested Goshawk (Lophospiza trivirgatus)

OTHER NAMES: Asian Crested Goshawk, Ceylon Crested Goshawk

Latin Etymology: Accipiter ("to grasp") lophospiza ("crest hawk")

Adult Female Crested Goshawk (subspecies L. t. indicus) at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - July 2016

Featured Subspecies: Accipiter trivirgatus indicus
Weight: 224-450g  /  Length: 30-46cm  /  Wingspan: 65-85cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Crested Goshawk is a medium sized species of raptor that I came across entirely unexpectedly - we were walking along the road from our Kuala Lumpur hotel as we did every day but just as we crossed an overpass, there was a large amount of squawking from house crows around - clearly something they didn't like was around.  Upon looking into the tree above me, my initial impression was of a huge thrush - the bold streaking on it's chest certainly very reminiscent of a song thrush.  However, it quickly became apparent that it was this impressive raptor species. As is usual with raptors, the female is the larger of the two.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Lophospiza
SUBSPECIES: A. t. indicus, A. t. peninsulae, A. t. layardi, A. t. formosae, A. t. trvirgatus, A. t. niasensis, A. t. javanicus, A. t. microstictus, A. t. palawanus, A. t. extimus, A. t. castroi

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - Helang Sewah Besar ("Large Sparrow-hawk Eagle")

A widespread resident

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: A single bird in Kuala Lumpur

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto   .

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

OTHER NAMES: Sparrow-hawk, Sparrowhawk

Latin Etymology: Accipiter ("to grasp") nisus (from a figure from Greek myth turned into a hawk)

  Adult male Eurasian Sparrowhawk (subspecies A. n. nisus) in Geddington, Northants - April 2018

Featured Subspecies: Accipiter nisus nisus
Weight: 110-342g  /  Length: 29-41cm  /  Wingspan: 59-80cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Despite being one of the UKs commonest raptors, the Sparrowhawk can be slightly trickier to see than most - unlike the other commoner British raptors (Buzzard and Kestrel) it is an aerial hunter which catches other birds, as opposed to mainly going for ground based prey. This means it is often seen at high speed in fleeting glimpses compared to soaring or hovering. That being said, it can often be seen wheeling across more open areas in search of prey, or if you are very lucky, landing on a branch.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Accipiter
Subspecies: A. n. granti, A. n. nisus, A. n. wolterstorffi, A. n. punicus, A. n. nisosimilis, A. n. melaschistos  

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A widespread and fairly common resident (35000 pairs)

 - A common but somewhat shy resident, mostly seen in Geddington. Also seen at Rutland Water and Rainham Marshes.

JAPAN - Japanese - ハイタカ / Haitaka ("High Hawk")

Reasonably common resident.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A single bird seen from the train in the countryside

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .