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Sparrowhawk has an indirect type of development. Hawk - fast flyer

Describing what a hawk looks like, let's start with the fact that it is a warlike bird of prey, which is associated with physical strength, dexterity and noble beauty. A keen eye, a powerful body and strong wings made this feathered bird an unsurpassed hunter, able to quickly and accurately track down his prey, wherever it is. In this article we will tell you what kind of lifestyle this unique bird leads, about the features of its behavior and varieties.

general description

The hawk belongs to the subclass of the neopalates, the hawk-like order, the hawk family. There are several versions of the origin of the name of this bird. The first is related to his agility and speed in flight from the stem of the word astr. Literally, the term translates as "a bird with a sharp look, flying fast." Another version is based on the variegated colors of the bird's plumage.

Hawks are 100% predators. But their size relative to other carnivorous birds is small. The goshawk is the largest species. Its weight is one and a half kilograms, and the body length does not exceed 70 cm. As for the other variety - the sparrowhawk - its dimensions are much more modest. The weight of the bird is only 120 grams, and its body length is 30 cm.

There is always plumage on the head and legs of hawks. The beak is typical for predators: short, powerful and curved downwards. The eyes of birds are predominantly orange or yellow, with occasional reddish hues. The visual acuity of these birds is impressive. According to its indicators, it exceeds human vigilance eight times.

Distinctive features

In addition to excellent vision, birds also have a keen sense of smell. They unmistakably distinguish fresh from rotten meat and will never eat a spoiled, stale piece.

The hawk inhales smells not with the nostrils, but with the mouth. Therefore, a bird living in captivity, having received the missing meat, will certainly refuse it and throw it away.

Plumage color varies from brown to dark gray. Feathers have a transverse color, which gives the effect of variegation. There are also hawks with plain light or white plumage. Such individuals are found in Kamchatka and in the North-East of our country.

Feathered paws are muscular and powerful. Dense, sharp claws help the hawk securely fix prey and hold steady on branches. The wings are short, blunt in shape. Their length in relation to the body is relatively small. The exception is singing species. The tail of the bird is wide, long, without points.

Such characteristics allow the predator to easily maneuver on the hunt between branches and easily overcome obstacles.

The life expectancy of hawks is 15-17 years.

Species and their habitats

There are 47 species of hawks. Among them:

white;
light;
steppe;
red;
small;
crested and others.

The most common of these are goshawks and sparrowhawks.

Small or Sparrowhawks include six subspecies. These birds of prey live in Western Europe, as well as in northern Africa to the Pacific Ocean.

The main population of sparrowhawks has been recorded on the Scandinavian Peninsula and in Russia. They are met in the forests, where they build a new nest every year on the branches of coniferous trees. Birds living in the Eastern Hemisphere of the planet fly away for the winter to Asian countries. Their relatives from the Western Hemisphere, go to Mexico;

Goshawks lead a sedentary lifestyle. They live in tropical jungles, savannahs and other open areas. This variety of hawk shows an undulating trajectory in flight.

Similarities and differences

Consider the similarities and differences between the main types of hawks.

The goshawk has an impressive body weight. The plumage color of females is darker than that of males. It varies from brown to dark grey. The chest, throat and belly are pockmarked, several tones lighter than the rest of the body. From afar, goshawks resemble large female sparrowhawks. They are distinguished by the shape of the tail. The sparrowhawk opens its tail like a fan, while its congener has a rounded end.

Other birds of prey can be distinguished from a hawk by a number of features. For example, the falcon has a sickle-shaped wings, a different structure of the beak and eyes. Even in the air, falcons move in a completely different way ..

Differences with the kite: the kite's weaker legs, its pointed tail, long wings and elongated beak.

Differences between a hawk and an eagle: the weight and body length of the eagle is greater, its wings and tail are longer.

Food preferences

All types of hawks are forest hunters and meat eaters. Since their daily diet includes meat, their victims in wild nature become:

small and large birds;
frogs;
the bats;
chickens, chickens;
young rabbits and hares;
fish;
snakes;
big insects.

It happens that the hawk attacks prey, which in its dimensions exceeds the hunter himself.

The hawk watches for the object, after which it abruptly and unexpectedly makes an attack. Powerful and tenacious paws capture the victim, both on the ground and on the fly in the air. The predator kills the prey by squeezing it with its paws, and then cutting it with sharp claws.

Despite the obvious advantages, the hawk also has enemies who are able to turn it into their own food. These are martens, foxes and other carnivorous mammals.

Reproduction and offspring

Hawks are monogamous birds. These birds choose a partner for themselves and form a couple for life. When they take up building a nest, they do it thoroughly. The arrangement of the nest is made one and a half to two months before the start of mating. As a nesting place, hawks choose branches of coniferous or deciduous trees.

Eggs are laid once a year. Their number varies from two to six in one clutch. While the female is incubating, the male takes on the role of breadwinner and guardian. He brings food to the nest and the next two weeks after the appearance of offspring. The female feeds the chicks. During this period, she molts. In the male, the process begins after the cubs finally leave the nest. The change of feathers does not affect the flight ability of birds.

Grown up babies live with their parents for up to two months. After the young hawks get stronger, they fly away, leaving their parental home forever.

Hawks in captivity

These predators are not accustomed to life in the city. Therefore, staying in indoors(enclosure, cage) causes severe stress in hawks. In general, keeping a wild bird of prey at home is a complex and ambiguous process.

The hawk needs a lot of space and the ability to keep hunting. It is worth considering that the pet, even being tame, will not give up its gastronomic habits. He will still need fresh meat, which cannot be bought in a regular supermarket.

The diet of a domesticated hawk includes live rodents. They are sold in specialized pet stores.

Goshawk chicks require special food. So, a two-week-old baby eats the carcasses of sparrows, pigeons, rooks and crows. Meat before feeding is lightly sprinkled with saline, bought at a pharmacy. The nutritional norm for a chick is one or two sparrow carcasses per day. Cubs are fed only during daylight hours.

Home maintenance and health

The owner, who does not follow the rules for feeding his formidable pet, risks his health and life. Some people believe that meat bought from a store or a bazaar will suit a hawk. This mistake leads to a violation of the bird's digestion, a lack of valuable substances and a weakened immune system. As a result, there is a loss of feathers, including the main ones, intestinal dysbacteriosis, apathy and a decrease in activity up to a complete refusal of food. The use of minced meat prepared from lean meats is permissible only during the first month.

A hawk in captivity experiences great discomfort. For this reason, it is recommended to force-feed her. The meat is brought directly to the beak, gently opening it with your hands. The food is then slowly pushed down the throat. The main thing is that the pet does not bite the feeder and does not choke on food. After a couple of days, the feathered one will adapt to the new conditions and there will be no problems with feeding. Otherwise, you will need to consult a veterinarian.

Hummingbird nests are found in the wild near hawk nesting sites. This bird is not of interest to them, while the proximity to a strong predator protects the fragile bird from its enemies: jays and squirrels.

An adult and strengthened hawk that has flown out of the nest, his parents, when trying to approach, will be considered a stranger and driven away.

The soaring flight of the hawk is graceful and beautiful, despite the relatively short wings.

The hawk is ruthless. When hunting, he destroys all the targets he sees.

In ancient Egypt and the Old World of the Middle Ages, the deliberate killing of a hawk was equated with a criminal offense.

Harm and benefit

Hawks are considered birds that do more harm than good. They hunt domestic birds, destroy chicks, domestic rabbits and hares. For this, in Russia and Europe several centuries ago they were massively exterminated. For the capture and murder of "criminals" even a monetary reward was supposed. Such events on the territory of our country ceased only in the middle of the last century. It turned out that the imbalance led to a distortion of the situation in the ecosystem: with the destruction of birds of prey, the populations of birds and animals that became their victims began to disappear.

It is known from history that hawks have long been considered an invariable attribute of hunting, where they brought even large prey to their owners. They were valued at the royal court for their dexterity, sharp eyesight, and ability for strategic maneuvers.

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The Sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey found in Europe and Asia. North America as well as in northern Africa.

Description. The wing shape is rounded, short and wide. The long tail is trapezoidal, from a narrow base to a square end. Paws are long yellow with strong sharp claws. Near the beak there is a pair of bristles that hang over the nostrils.

Color. The adult male has a bluish-series color of the back and white underparts with brown or reddish-brown transverse stripes. The back of the female is gray-brown, the bottom is white with gray stripes. There are three or four stripes on the tail of this bird, and there may be a white spot on the back of the head. The cheeks of the sparrow hawk are red, the beak is gray-blue, the eyebrow is white. Eye color from birth is pale yellow, which becomes orange as it matures, in older birds the eyes are red. Young representatives of this species are similar in color to females, but have a less striped lower body, an buffy tint on the edges of the feathers, and a brown coating is noticeable on the bottom of the wings. Newborn chicks have a dark ring around the eyes.

Size and weight. Females are larger than males. The male grows up to 28 cm, the female up to 40 cm. The wing length of the male is 19.6-21.2 cm, for the female 23.1-25.6 cm. Wingspan male 59-65cm, female 68-77cm. The weight of the male is from 130 to 150g, and the female from 250 to 320g.

Habitat sparrow hawk is predominantly forested, namely coniferous, broad-leaved and small-leaved forests. For this bird, it is important that there is a body of water nearby. Sparrowhawks love open space, so they settle on the edge of the forest. Sometimes they are found in settlements, most often the cause is a harsh winter.

Food. The diet of the sparrow hawk is mainly made up of small birds (partridges, sparrows, tits, pigeons, hazel grouses, crows, woodpeckers, blackbirds, starlings, waders, warblers). The sparrow hawk also preys on frogs, bats and insects. Females prey on larger prey, like crows or pigeons, and males on smaller individuals. About 95% of all prey are birds, about 120 species.

Behavior. As already mentioned, this species hunts in open spaces near forested areas. Leads a daily lifestyle. Spends most of the day in ambush in the trees. Prey grabs on the fly. In flight, the sparrowhawk is very maneuverable, it can grab prey by flying under it with its back down. Attacks the victim from cover or from the air, falling on it with folded wings.
The Sparrowhawk is always focused on its chosen prey and is not distracted by other birds. It can also pursue prey on foot. First, it plucks the prey and only then takes it to the nest, in winter it immediately tears the victim in the snow and eats it. For an adult Sparrowhawk, an average of two birds should be caught per day. Females hunt in open areas, males prefer wooded areas. The inhabitants of the northern regions migrate in winter.

Reproduction. The Sparrowhawk is monogamous. The couple guards and defends their territory together. Every year a new couple is created. For the nest chooses trees 10-18m high. Nests are built loose, made of thin branches, so every year a new nest is built, a place for it, as a rule, is chosen not far from the previous nest. The nest is located at a height of 3 to 15 m, the height of the nest itself is 10-35 cm, the diameter is 30-50 cm. Can choose trees near roads, in city parks, squares, in fields.

The female lays 4-7 eggs, which she incubates for 35-42 days. The eggs are white with brown or dark spots, 35-48x29-35 mm in size. Both parents feed the chicks, but only the female incubates. The female sits in the nest until the chicks are two weeks old. During this period, the male feeds her, and she feeds the chicks.

If the female sees a danger to her nest, she starts circling over it and screaming, she can even attack the one who creates the danger.

The breeding season for the sparrow hawk is April-June, during this period it is easiest for him to catch prey, since there are a lot of small birds.

Offspring. Little chicks look like white fluffy lumps. Chicks fledge at the age of 24-30 days, until this time they do not leave the nest, and their parents feed them. In order for all offspring to survive, parents need to catch and bring about 10 small birds to the nest every day. After 28-30 days, the chicks begin to leave the nest, moving to neighboring branches. They return to the nest only at nightfall. After about a month, the chicks become completely independent and leave the parental nest forever.

Sparrowhawk chicks have a very high mortality rate. So out of 100 newborn chicks, only 12 survive to puberty.

Lesser hawk or sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus). This is a half-sized copy of a large hawk - both in color and in appearance, and habits. Its specific Latin name is very accurate: by weight it is almost five times less than the goshawk. And the specific Russian name, as in the case of the goshawk, is unsuccessful. And for the same reason. Quail is a prey inaccessible to the small hawk, and in the nesting time, the vast majority of broods do not even appear in the food spectra. Sparrowhawks hunt for quails only during the autumn migration in the southern regions of the country (Northern Caucasus, Crimea, Ukraine, southern Siberia). In these places, prey hunting for quails with hunting sparrowhawks flourished in the old days, from where their name came from.

The natural role of the little hawk in other languages (English, German, Italian) is expressed more precisely: "sparrow". It is a pity that this name, which was often used by domestic ornithologists at the beginning of our century, did not take root.

The small hawk is distributed throughout all our forests, however, unlike the large hawk, it prefers the edge and especially low forests. By the way, some researchers, not without reason, believe that in a thick pole the sparrowhawk hides in the nesting place from the most severe persecution of precisely its “big brother” - the goshawk. He makes nests small, like those of a crow, thin, sometimes even translucent. There is never greenery in the tray, only thin twigs, pieces of bark and dry needles. Hides nests so skillfully that it can be difficult to find them If the hawks are not disturbed, they will nest year after year in the same small area with a diameter of 100-200 meters. But a new nest is made every year, so that within such a site it is easy to find up to a dozen old nests at a distance of 20-50 meters from each other.

What is remarkable about the sparrowhawk is the dedication to protecting its nest. I have had occasion to examine the nests of many of our predators, but none of them has shown such insane courage in defending his home as the sparrowhawk. The female with a desperate cry rushes through the branches right at the person at the nest, turning (not always!) A few centimeters (blows to the back of the head of one such defender are still remembered). Her attacks, especially if there are no other people downstairs, roll in continuously. The male also takes part in the defense to the best of his ability, cheering up his mate with desperate cries... 50 meters from the nest.

The laying of the sparrowhawk is large, 4-6 white eggs with large spots. Unlike buzzards and eagles, hawk chicks live quite peacefully in the nest, even the youngest, sometimes half or three times smaller, do not touch the chick. Four fledglings in a sparrowhawk is a common brood. Good example the fact that the intrafamilial aggressiveness of chicks, the so-called cannibalism, arose only in predators with an unstable food supply.

The sparrowhawk hunts for a variety of small birds, including insectivores. And if so, it was previously attributed to harmful predators without reasoning. However, it is worth discussing here. How does the activity of the sparrowhawk affect the number of useful birds? Does it become less year by year in the places where it lives? It turns out not! L. Tinbergen's studies in Holland, which have become classics, have shown that even seizing annually up to 6-8% of the number of some birds, the sparrowhawk does not cause a decrease in their numbers. The same was revealed in our conditions, however, with a smaller amount of seizure (the number of sparrowhawks in our country is lower than in Holland). And how can one expect a different result, if in the middle lane, for example, there are up to 50-100 thousand (!) Small birds per brood of sparrowhawks in summer. There are plenty to choose from. The total annual catch of a pair of sparrowhawks with a brood is about 2 thousand birds, i.e., the total removal by sparrowhawks does not exceed 2-4% of the population of passerines and other small birds. The accusations against the little hawk, therefore, turned out to be completely groundless.

Hawks living near populated areas most often prey on sparrows (up to 15–20% of the food spectrum in summer and over 30% in winter), justifying their name “sparrows”. Some individuals really specialize in catching exclusively watchful birds. True, the city freeloaders, apparently, have lost some of their vigilance. In one of the outskirts of Moscow, for example, throughout the winter, it was observed how a female sparrowhawk, regularly flying around blocks of houses, unsuccessfully hunted sparrows absorbed by feeding.

Thrushes, finches, tits, larks and other small birds play a significant role in the production of sparrowhawks. They even catch tiny kinglets and wrens. The largest prey of the sparrowhawk is dove and dove; very rarely catches small animals.

The number of the small hawk in our forests is noticeably higher than that of the large hawk - about 4-5 pairs, and in Western Europe up to 20-30 pairs per 100 square kilometers of forest. According to our tentative estimates, for example, about 800-1000 pairs nest on the territory of the Moscow Region.

About 20-30 years ago, the number of sparrowhawks was declining everywhere, mainly due to merciless shooting. In Europe, in addition, the populations of the little hawk were adversely affected by the widespread use of pesticides. Preying on insectivorous birds, which in turn ate insects poisoned by pesticides, hawks accumulated high concentrations of DDT and other highly toxic pesticides in their body tissues, which led to a decrease in their fertility.

The exclusion of the sparrowhawk from the lists of harmful birds, as well as the prohibition in most European countries of the use of toxic pesticides, stopped the decline in its numbers. In Vladimir region, for example, over 10 years (1960-1970) it even slightly increased, which, by the way, did not affect the populations of passerine birds in the slightest.

If the large hawk is alone in our fauna, then the “family” of small hawks includes 4 more species: the small sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), which lives in southern Siberia and Far East; short-fingered hawk (A. soloensis), most recently found nesting in Southern Primorye; Tuvik (A. badius), inhabiting Central Asia, and European Tuvik (A. brevipes), living in the south of the European part of the USSR.

The state of the European tuvik population is extremely alarming. Although its range on the map is quite extensive (covers Moldova, Ukraine, the Don and the Middle Volga region up to the Ural River), this predator is extremely rare everywhere. Suffice it to say that reliable cases of its nesting in our country have not been known for more than 10 years. Since the tuvik is difficult to distinguish from the sparrowhawk (in adult birds, the ventral side is rusty-red), in the European south of our country, all small hawks should be treated with particular care.

Three years ago I moved from Moscow to the Lipetsk region. Instead of a metropolis, I was now surrounded by forest-steppe. What else can you dream of? I began to think about what kind of bird of prey and what kind of game I could hunt. I may be able to go to hunting farms in the neighboring Voronezh region, where paid pheasant hunts are held, but once or twice a year. More is unaffordable. Partridge hunting was banned. There is practically no hare, and it is allowed to get only one per season. There are few ducks, and those that exist are kept in private ponds, which are usually not even allowed to approach. The number of the corncrake has been greatly reduced, it has almost disappeared. Rooks, hooded crows and jackdaws are kept mainly in the centers of settlements, where, letting birds of prey on them, you will get yourself into trouble. There is a quail, but in order to hunt it in the fall for only a month, you need to specially start a pointing dog. Quite a lot of foxes, which you can try to hunt with a golden eagle. But feeding a golden eagle is expensive. In addition, high numbers of foxes do not occur every year, and outbreaks of rabies are not uncommon in the region. This means that only small birds, blackbirds, magpies and wood pigeons remained for hunting.

After analyzing and sorting through all the options, I settled on a sparrow hawk. Now that I'm in my fifties, I'm returning to the bird of prey I started with as a child.

Benefits of Hunting with a Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk is the most common and accessible bird of the middle lane. lives here all year round and nest.
The sparrowhawk is not a Red Book species, so it is possible to obtain permission to catch it.
The set of species on which the sparrowhawk can be released is greater than for any other bird of prey.
The Sparrowhawk is easy to keep, easy to train and requires little feeding.
Due to its starting spurt and unrivaled catchability, the Sparrowhawk is easy to hunt on foot with short shots. On the hunt for him you run less than for any other bird of prey, and this becomes important with age.
To search for a sparrowhawk, one bell is enough, and you can do without expensive telemetry.
If falconry causes damage to nature, then from hunting with a sparrowhawk this damage is minimal.
In connection with the commonness and availability of the sparrowhawk, you can not burden yourself with keeping it for the molting period, but hunt in the season and release it. Do it the way they do it in Abkhazia. Sometimes it does not hurt to take a break from your bird of prey.

From the practice of hunting with a sparrowhawk

I also remembered how convenient it is to use the sparrowhawk because of its small size and quick adaptation to unfamiliar conditions. In 1987, I worked as a regional game manager in the Lipetsk region. He lived in an apartment a hundred kilometers from Lipetsk. Every month I had to go to meetings in the regional hunting inspection. I took the sparrowhawk with me. He took him on the bus, swaddled, stuffed into his bosom in the side pocket of his jacket. The authorities were loyal to my hobby, and when I sat at the meeting, the head of a sparrowhawk peeked out from behind my bosom. After the meeting, I went outside. He took off the diaper from the sparrowhawk and, putting it on a mitten, let it sit. After that, passing through the nearest yards and finding a flock of pigeons, he let him loose on them. It was easy and fast to get pigeons to feed the sparrowhawk in this way. At present, it will no longer be possible to let it out in public in the city. People have changed, customs have changed, and, most importantly, laws have changed. Most of all I had to observe the sparrowhawks and work with them on my small homeland, in the south of the Lipetsk region, in the village of Khlevnoy and its environs. It is the most common bird of prey there.

I took off the diaper from the sparrow hawk and, putting it on a mitten, let it sit

Annual cycle of the sparrow hawk

At the beginning of spring, while there is still a lot of snow and there is no spring migration, sparrowhawks stay at food bases, where there are clusters of small birds: at elevators, cowsheds, poultry farms, landfills, weeds, vegetable gardens and orchards - that is, in settlements or near them. There is almost nothing for them to catch in the forest, and they fly there only to spend the night in dense pine plantations.

When the snow begins to melt, the sparrowhawks visit the fields where sunflowers have been planted in summer. These fields are not plowed up in autumn and are usually full of voles. The water from the melting snow floods the burrows, forcing the voles to crawl out to the surface of the snow, where they are caught by the sparrowhawks, along with the buzzards and gray shrikes. With the appearance of thawed patches, larks arrive in the fields. And the sparrowhawks begin to catch them in the fields. They hunt by flying at speed down the field and grabbing a lark frightened by their accidental appearance.

During the mass migration of small birds in spring, the sparrowhawks follow them along the migration routes and hunt them. Birds are caught both where they fly and where they stop to rest and feed. Usually these are river floodplains, low forests, slopes of gullies.

Already from mid-April, the sparrowhawk, most often an old male, becomes noticeable near the nesting site. In this place, he begins to constantly hunt small birds.

I found nests of sparrowhawks in the Lipetsk region only in young pine plantations. It is easiest to find a nest there - by simply combing suitable places. In Moscow and the Moscow region, I also found it by combing, but already in young plantings of spruces and larches. The most difficult thing was to look for nests in the old birch-pine forest with undergrowth of young fir trees.

Sparrowhawk Nest

Sparrowhawks nest from year to year in one area, as long as this area satisfies their requirements. But every year they build a new one near the old nest. Therefore, you usually find several nests in the nesting area. In the areas I discovered, there were from one to five.

Sparrowhawk nests are located low, usually near the trunk, less often in its fork. Constructed from thin dry twigs, pine or other, depending on the surrounding stands, the nests of sparrowhawks are small, rather loose and flat. Sometimes there are pieces of bark in them.

A residential nest on the site usually looks better than all the others, non-residential. Often in it you can see the tail of the incubating female. The easiest and most reliable way to determine if a nest is habitable or not is to knock on the wood with the nest. When a disturbed female flies off, it is better to leave immediately if there is no need to climb in and see how many eggs are in the nest. The female will return to the nest fairly quickly and continue to incubate the clutch.

The earliest egg laying in the south of the Lipetsk region, if we consider that I observed the first flight on July 5, was approximately at the beginning of May. In Moscow and the Moscow region - two weeks later.

In the Lipetsk region, in the nests of sparrowhawks, I found from three to five eggs, although literary sources indicate that there are up to six. The eggs are off-white with brownish-reddish specks and spots of various sizes. These specks and specks are located on the white background of eggs in different pairs in different ways. For some, from the blunt end of the egg, for others, in the center, for others, all over the egg. The size of the eggs is approximately 3x4 centimeters. Only the female incubates the clutch for 32 days.

One of the duties of the male is to guard the nest. Usually sparrowhawks live peacefully and inconspicuously. Very rarely, the male attacks buzzards flying over the nest. The buzzard easily breaks away from the attacker, sliding along the inclined on half-bent wings, if the terrain allows it to do so. Another duty of the male is to supply first the female, and then the whole family with food, until the chicks grow up and the female begins to hunt. The male brings the caught bird to the nesting site, calls the female from the nest and, when she flies up to him, hands over the prey to her. From the beginning of incubation on the nesting sites, feathers of birds brought and plucked by sparrowhawks begin to come across. By accidentally bumping into these feathers and circling around the site, you can easily find the nest. But the male does not always immediately carry the caught unplucked bird to his nesting site. It happens that he plucks her far from the nest, in the place where he caught her, and carries her to the nest only after pecking her a little. Therefore, it is safer to start looking for a nest where at least two or three pinches catch your eye in a small area. But, as you know, there is no rule without exception, and it is quite possible that you can find a nest by bumping into just one nibble.

At present, the number of sparrowhawks in the nesting time in the south of the Lipetsk region has decreased and is far from the same as it was in the first half of the nineties. In the early summer of 2008, I checked three nesting sites in pine plantations along a long ravine that flows into the Don. Sparrowhawks did not nest in any of these sites. In the early nineties, in the same area, about twelve kilometers away, I found six residential nests.

The main reasons for the decline in the number of sparrowhawks, in my opinion, are the multiplication of pine and stone martens, grown pine plantations and a general decrease in the number of small birds.

Martens destroy the nests of this hawk. About five years ago, I checked the nests of sparrowhawks for occupancy. Under one lay feathers from the tail and wings of an incubating female. The nest itself was skewed. Examining the feathers, I saw that they had been gnawed off at the posts. It immediately became clear that one of the previous nights, the marten attacked the female sitting on the eggs, grabbed her and ate her.

And the goshawks begin to displace the sparrowhawks as soon as the young pine plantings grow up and they can easily fly over them. I don’t know if they destroy nests or catch fledglings, but after the goshawks begin to fly inside the grown landings, the sparrowhawks no longer nest in such landings.

The number of small birds during the nesting period has decreased, possibly due to the general lowering of the groundwater level and the deterioration of the food supply. Numerous wells, springs, pits and other watering places have almost completely dried up in the forests and logs along the left bank of the Don. Due to droughts in summer, earthworms go deep into the ground. There were no worms - there were no starlings and colonies of fieldfares. But these are just the obvious changes. Perhaps there are others, not so obvious, but significant, also not benefiting nesting small birds and, together with them, sparrowhawks.

Sparrowhawk fledglings begin to leave the nests from the beginning of July. The earliest departure was noted by me on July 5, as I have already mentioned. In some pairs, the fledglings are quite noisy, especially in the morning and in the evening, in others they rarely give voice.

Young ones, if there is enough food on the site, after departure, they stay on it with a brood longer than in starvation. And if there is not enough food on the site, then after five days the fledglings can no longer be found.

From mid-July, fledglings, having left the nest and scattered, already independently begin to hunt near forest watering places, watching for small birds that come to drink water. In 2008, fledglings of sparrowhawks have been hunting in vegetable gardens since August 6th. And on August 26, the first cold snap began, and on the 27th, sparrowhawks, kites, and bee-eaters pulled in a south-westerly direction. It was already the beginning of the autumn migration.

In September, the migratory sparrowhawks, pulling in circles, are clearly visible. At this time, it is not uncommon to see young sparrowhawks playing with hooded crows or magpies. Once I saw a sparrowhawk chasing a goshawk above the garden, why - it is not clear.

In September, the migrating sparrowhawks, pulling in circles, are clearly visible

The peak of the flight in 2008 was on October 19. On that day, sparrowhawks, goshawks and already buzzards pulled well. But, it should be borne in mind that every year the autumn migration takes place in different ways.

According to literary sources, the main wintering place for the departed sparrowhawks is North Africa. Those that remained to spend the winter with us are distributed among feeding places, but far from all settle in one place. Many winterers continue to migrate. At forage bases, some sparrowhawks replace others. It seems that all winter there is an advance to places warmer and more fodder.

In the Lipetsk region on its own personal plot in winter I see sparrowhawks almost every day. It is interesting that during the whole winter of 2009-2010 I did not see a single old male. In autumn I saw young females more often, and in winter - young males and old females. In 1975-1990, males, old and young, predominated during the snowy period. What was it about? Don't know. Maybe it's an accident, or maybe this is due to climate change or a change in the main food supply of these birds.

Who is hunted by the sparrowhawk

The sparrowhawk is a very agile and fast predator. In nature, its main prey is small birds. He catches them more often on the fly and is well adapted for this. The sparrowhawk has short broad wings, a long tail, long tarsals and long prehensile toes.

Males, perhaps because of their small size, catch only small birds. Females, larger and stronger, in addition to small birds catch larger prey, sometimes in winter - even gray partridges.

In the nesting areas of sparrowhawks, in addition to feathers from small birds, I also found feathers from large motley woodpeckers and blackbirds. In autumn and winter in the Lipetsk region, I often had to observe the attacks of sparrow hawks on sparrows gathered in the bushes of thorns. At great speed, the hawk dived into dense thorny thickets and managed to fly out from the other side with the already caught sparrow. You just marvel at his agility.

The sparrowhawk knows well where small birds are fed in winter, and hunts for them there. If the feeder is located in an open area, he attacks from a distance at high speed. If among the trees, then it attacks briefly, hiding behind the trees when approaching. Birds escape from it either by diving into the nearest very dense bush, if there is one, or by vertical take-off into the crown of a tree. Vertical takeoff in sparrows, tits and other small birds is very effective reception salvation, and they often use it.

In winter, small birds hiding in a safe shelter - thick branches, the sparrowhawk does not wait long. Usually, after waiting a few minutes, he flies away.

Large motley woodpeckers, when attacked by a sparrowhawk, hide behind tree trunks and scream loudly. It seems that this cry scares off sparrowhawks, but apparently not all.

In late autumn and winter, sparrowhawks dare to attack such unusual prey as domestic pigeons. The earliest attack on a pigeon in the village of Khlevnoy was noted by me on November 4th. In the same area in some years there are several attacks on pigeons, in others there are no attacks at all. Although there is a general tendency for sparrow hawks to attack pigeons more often, these attacks are still very rare.

The reasons for attacking pigeons in different places, of course, are different.

It is possible that in the steppe regions of the Tambov region, some female sparrowhawks are used to catching the gray partridge, which is numerous there, and they associate pigeons with partridges.
In Kyrgyzstan, they attack when they are hungry during a long flight over unusual, food-poor lands.

In the Lipetsk region, there has been a sharp general reduction in wintering small granivorous birds. Due to the fact that the local population practically ceased to keep livestock and agricultural livestock facilities collapsed, the previously numerous sparrows and buntings were greatly reduced in number, crested larks almost disappeared. There are fewer thickets of burdock, and in winter there are no longer those huge flocks of goldfinches. Instead of amaranth, the seeds of which fed flocks of siskins and tap dances in winter, now some kind of Canadian weed that has spread from the south sticks out from under the snow in the gardens. And in the winter of 2009-2010, due to a poor harvest of mountain ash and blackthorn, almost no thrushes remained to winter. Very few waxwings came to spend the winter. Although this is not connected with mountain ash, there were also few tap and siskin that winter. And, probably, this starvation prompted female sparrowhawks to attack pigeons.

Sparrowhawk: Males and females, old and young

Sparrowhawks young and old, males and females are generally well distinguished in color. To understand who you are holding in your hands, pay attention to the following.

Old male Sparrowhawk
Its back is bluish-gray, of different shades, sometimes bluish. The front from the throat to the undertail is white with a rather bright reddish-brown transverse pattern. On the gray background of the tail feathers there are transverse dark stripes, but it happens that these stripes are absent on the two middle feathers.

Old female Sparrowhawk
The coloration of the back is gray-gray or has a brownish tint, but is mostly darker than in old males. The front from the throat to the undertail is white with a gray-gray or gray-brown transverse pattern. On a gray background, all tail feathers have dark transverse stripes.

Sparrowhawks young and old, males and females are generally well distinguished in color (old male sparrowhawk)

Young male sparrowhawks
The back is brown with or without buffy edging of feathers. The front from the throat to the undertail is white with brown drop-shaped spots starting from the throat and goiter, turning into heart-shaped spots on the chest, and already into stripes on the belly.

Young female sparrowhawks
The back is brown with a light edging of feathers or without it. White "plaques" are not uncommon on the shoulders. The front from the throat to the undertail is white, but a transverse brown pattern of stripes begins immediately from the throat. Even in young females, light eyebrows are better expressed, often going to the back of the head.

Approximate weight of a sparrowhawk: male - 160-170 g, female - 250-300 g (young male sparrowhawk andyoung female sparrowhawk)

The tail feathers of young males and females are similar, light brown with dark brown transverse stripes. The iris of the eyes of the sparrowhawks is yellow. The cere and paws are also yellow.

Sparrowhawk and Tuvik

Sometimes novice falconers living in the southern regions confuse the sparrowhawk with the tuvik. How to distinguish them? Tuvik is a southern bird. The northern border of the range of the European tuvik passes, as far as I know, along the Voronezh Reserve and goes somewhat to the north along the Voronezh River. For the first time in Russia, the European tuvik as a species was found and described in those places. It is possible that he can meet a little to the north. The main and most reliable difference between a tuvik and a sparrowhawk, in my opinion, is its short fingers. Sparrowhawk fingers are thin, long, with well-developed pads. In Tuvik, they are much shorter and slightly thicker. This immediately catches the eye. Other features of the tuvik: reddish or cherry eyes, a black stripe down the throat, and teardrop-shaped spots on the chest in young ones may not work for a beginner falconer. The nests that I saw within the joint range of the Tuvik and the Sparrowhawk were located in different ways. In sparrowhawks - in young artificial pine forests or wide plantings. In tuviks - either in the floodplain black alder, or in a narrow deciduous planting, but always near the water.

Approximate weight of the sparrowhawk: male - 160-170 g, female - 250-300 g. From this it can be seen that the male is significantly inferior to the female in size and, of course, in strength. Therefore, females are traditionally used for hunting. But you can train the male and let him in on small birds. The length of the wings in males is about 21 cm or a little more. The length of the wings of females, measured by me, was mainly 23.5-24 cm. Very rarely met and 25 cm.

I did not find any dependence of the size of the sparrowhawk on its color variation.

At present, with sparrowhawks, they mainly hunt migratory quails in autumn in Abkhazia. Similar hunts used to be not uncommon here in Russia, as can be learned from the stories of N.P. Danilova and S.T. Aksakov. Moreover, in addition to amateur hunting, there was also commercial hunting with a sparrowhawk. The so-called hawk hunters (or industrialists) harvested quails for sale with the help of this bird of prey.

A true lover and connoisseur of the sparrowhawk was N.P. Danilov. Beginning falconers, and not only beginners, will find it very helpful to read his Notes on the Training of Hawks and Hunting with the Sparrowhawk. I would like smaller young falconers to chase prestigious large falcons and pay attention to this small, but very brave, intelligent and, perhaps, the most efficient hunting bird. Indeed, speaking objectively, today it is the sparrowhawk that represents the most opportunities for real hunting in our conditions.

One of the most dangerous, fast and furious predators among birds, of course, is the hawk, which has been noticed by people since ancient times for its qualities. It got its name due to the speed and swiftness of the flight, the word "astr" means "fast", "swift". Thus, the word "hawk" can be translated as "a bird with a swift, fast flight." And this characteristic accurately describes the essence of the hawk.

Hawk - description, characteristics. What does a hawk look like?

As for notorious predators, the sizes of hawks are relatively small - the largest of the hawks - the goshawk has a weight of 1.5 kg, a wing length of no more than 30 cm and reaches a size of up to 68 cm in length. On average, the wing length of a hawk is no more than 26 cm, the weight of a hawk is 120 g, and the body length is 30 cm.

The head of a hawk always has plumage. The beak of the hawk is short, curved, strong, typical for birds of prey. At the base of the beak there is a cere, which is a bare patch of skin on which the nostrils are located.

The eyes of a hawk are usually yellow or yellow-orange. It's no secret that hawks have just the same excellent eyesight, which is about 8 times sharper than our human one. The eyes of this bird are turned slightly forward, so the hawks use binocular vision, they can clearly see the object with both eyes. No less developed among hawks and hearing, but charm is by no means their strong point.

The color of hawks is usually gray-brown, gray, brown on top, but below their bodies are light: whitish, yellowish, buffy, but with dark transverse stripes. Although there are species of hawks, such as the light hawk, with lighter colors. It also happens that hawks of the same species can be colored differently.

The paws of the hawks are yellow, the paws themselves are very powerful, with sharp claws that serve the hawks when hunting.

The wings of a hawk are short and blunt, although species living in less wooded areas (singing hawks, for example) have large wings. The structure of their wings is explained by the conditions in which hawks live. And since they live in forests, everything is arranged in such a way that they have excellent maneuverability, a hawk can deftly fly through dense thickets, make instant turns, both in the horizontal and vertical directions, take off sharply and stop just as sharply, make swift throws. Thanks to such abilities, hawks always attack their prey unexpectedly. The wingspan of a hawk is up to 125 cm.

Hawks have the ability to make "ki-ki" sounds, probably serving as some kind of communication between them. Among them there are also special singing hawks, whose sounds are very melodic, they are similar to the sound of a flute.

Where hawks live

Their habitat is very wide, it is almost the whole of Eurasia. They are found in Africa, Australia, both Americas. They like to settle in wooded areas, however, they rarely climb deep into the forest, preferring sparse, open forest edges. As a rule, hawks lead a sedentary lifestyle, with the exception of those living in the northern territories, with the onset of very very cold weather, the local hawks migrate south.

What do hawks eat

As we wrote above, hawks are incorrigible predators, the basis of their food is smaller birds, small mammals, fish, snakes, they can attack and eat even large insects. But their favorite food is the same feathered smaller birds: sparrows, finches, finches, kinglets, thrushes, tits. Sometimes hawks can also attack larger ones, pheasants, pigeons, ravens, parrots, and even hunt domestic chickens. Among the mammals that get to the hawks for dinner, there are mice, rats, voles, squirrels, rabbits, hares. But Japanese hawks sometimes hunt even.

During the hunt, cunning hawks first lie in wait for their prey, then suddenly and swiftly attack it. At the same time, hawks are able to equally deftly catch both sitting and flying prey. Grasping her with his powerful paws, he strongly squeezes her, at the same time piercing her with his sharp claws. After that, it eats its prey.

But what do little hawks eat? These young predators eat worms, flies and as a treat.

How long does a hawk live

The typical lifespan of hawks in the wild is 12-17 years, while in a zoo they can live longer.

What is the difference between a hawk and a falcon

Hawks are often confused with other birds of prey - falcons, but let's try to describe the differences between them.

Firstly, falcons belong to a completely different zoological species - the falcon family, while hawks belong to the hawk family.
Falcons are larger than hawks.
The wings of a falcon are sharp and longer (more than 30 cm in length) while those of a hawk are shorter (less than 30 cm in length), and also blunt.
The eyes of falcons are usually dark brown, while those of hawks are usually yellow or yellow.
The tail of falcons is shorter, while that of hawks is, on the contrary, longer.
Falcons have a pronounced mandible tooth, hawks do not.
Hawks and falcons hunt differently and, as a result, live in different areas. Falcons prefer open steppe spaces; they attack their prey from a great height, at high speed.
To breed chicks, falcons have a bad habit of capturing other people's nests, while hawks do this very rarely, but they build their own nests thoroughly.

What is the difference between a hawk and a kite

Hawks are also confused with kites, below we will give the main differences between these birds.

The kite has shorter and weaker legs compared to the hawk.
The tail of a kite with a strong notch, in a hawk it is rounded.
The kite's beak is more elongated and weaker than that of the hawk.
But the wings of a kite, on the contrary, are longer than those of a hawk.
The kite is not as skilled a hunter as a hawk, usually its diet is carrion, garbage, sometimes it can even steal food from other birds of prey. What can not be said about the hawk, an excellent and skilled hunter.

Types of hawks, photos and names

This representative of the hawk family is the largest of them, its weight reaches 1.5 kg, body length is 52-68 cm. Moreover, females are larger than males. Also because of its size, this species is also called a large hawk. Its feathers are short and slightly curled. Painted brown above, white below. It lives in Eurasia and North America, it is also found in Africa, but only in Morocco.

Hardy bird with strong paws and sharp claws. The body length is 36-39 cm, weight reaches 500 g. The colors are darker. As the name suggests, the African goshawk is native to northern, eastern and western Africa.

He is a small hawk - a very small representative of the kingdom of hawks. Its body length is only 30-43 cm, and its weight is no more than 280 g. Its color is typical for hawks. The habitat of the small hawk is almost the whole of Europe, as well as the northern regions of Africa.

It got its name due to the color - bright light. Although zoologists distinguish between two varieties of this species of hawk: gray and white, again depending on the color. Light hawks live exclusively in Australia.

Lives in Southeast Asia. Distinctive feature This type of hawk is the presence of a crest or crest on the lower part of the nape. Otherwise, the crested hawk is similar to its other relatives.

He's a short-legged hawk. Another small representative of the hawk genus, has a body length of 30-38 cm, and a weight of up to 220 g. The paws of this hawk are short, hence the second name. It lives in the south of Europe, including in the south of our country Ukraine, and also in the Ukrainian Crimea. This species of hawks is thermophilic and, with the onset of winter cold, goes to the south for wintering - to northern Africa, Asia Minor, and Iran.

Also a very large representative of the hawk family, its length reaches 60 cm, and all 1-1.4 kg. Its plumage is reddish with various black patches. The red hawk lives exclusively in Australia, loves parrots (as food, of course) and other smaller feathered animals.

hawk breeding

Hawks are family birds that like to build solid nests for their offspring. These birds begin nest building 1.5-2 months before mating, in deciduous or coniferous forests. Nests are built, as a rule, from dry twigs.

Interesting fact: hawks are monogamous and mate for life, just like swans. They lay their eggs once a year and do this for several days. A clutch can contain from 2 to 6 eggs. The female incubates them, and the male at this time, as a decent earner, brings food.

After the chicks hatch, the male continues to bring food for a couple of weeks, but their mother feeds the little hawks. After some time, the female also begins to fly out to hunt, but for another 1-2 months, the hawk parents continue to take care of their offspring. Having matured and become independent, young hawks fly away from the parental nest forever.

Hawk Enemies

In nature, a hawk does not have so many enemies, martens and other predatory mammals can feast on a hawk if it gapes, but this happens extremely rarely.

How to feed a hawk at home

Keeping a hawk is quite an exotic thing, but nevertheless, if you have a representative of this feathered family in captivity, then keep in mind that you should feed the hawk with food that is natural for them - it is best if these are rodents bought in a special store. Of course, you can also feed the meat bought in the store, but such food will not provide the hawk with all the useful substances it needs. Also keep in mind that in captivity these birds are under severe stress and it is possible that at first the hawk will have to be fed even by force.

In some places, small hawks settle under the nests of hawks. The fact is that hummingbirds are not of gastronomic interest for hawks, but their natural enemies: jays and squirrels, on the contrary, are very much. Thus, hummingbirds protect themselves from squirrels with the help of hawks.
The parental connection with the maturation of the chicks is completely cut off, if the grown-up hawk, according to old memory, approaches the parental nest, its parents will drive it away like a stranger.
The ancient Greeks and Egyptians revered the hawk as a sacred animal, and killing it was considered a criminal offense.
Since ancient times, people have learned to use the hawk to hunt quails and pheasants.

Hawk, video

And finally, an interesting documentary about hawks from the National Geographic channel called "Goshawk - Phantom of the Forest."