Accipiter nisus

Interesting facts: The sparrow hawk is from the hawk family. It colonises well structured landscapes. Increasingly, it also builds its horsts in urban areas. It can be seen increasingly there, even in winter, following its prey, other birds. With a body length of approx. 40 cm, the female sparrow hawk is around a third larger than the male. Accordingly, it also preys on larger birds. Sparrow hawks are very versatile and adept hunters.

Characteristics: the most distinctive characteristic is the cross bands on the breast and abdomen, rust-red in males, brown-grey in females; the upperside of both sexes is slate grey; very long tail, with four or five bands; yellow eyes; thin legs with very long toes

Body length: Longer than 30 cm (longer than a blackbird)

Distribution: Sparse coniferous and mixed forests, small cultured landscapes with hedges and copses