Northern Goshawk

• Its many large nests, reused year after year, give nesting sites to other species that cannot build their own.
• It eats medium-sized birds and mammals such as squirrels, hares and rabbits, caught in agile pursuit through the vegetation.
• It was historically reserved for falconry by the European nobility, which is where its scientific name gentilis — 'noble' — comes from.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat & environment

Mature coniferous and deciduous woodland of the northern hemisphere, with clearings for hunting

Birth weight

Weight at hatching not found as a precise figure

Size at birth

Downy, blind and dependent on hatching

Sexual maturity

1-2 years

Gestation / incubation

32-38 days

Litter / clutch size

2 to 4 eggs per clutch

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 19 years in a ringed bird in the wild

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); NHPBS NatureWorks; Animal Diversity Web; Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program; Coniferous Forest; Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; BioKIDS

Best time: From February to April, when it performs display flights above the forest; for the rest of the year it is very unobtrusive.