14 Facts About Eurasian sparrowhawk

Eurasian sparrowhawk, known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

Eurasian sparrowhawk is found throughout the temperate and subtropical parts of the Old World; while birds from the northern parts of the range migrate south for winter, their southern counterparts remain resident or make dispersive movements.

Eurasian sparrowhawk's hunting behaviour has brought it into conflict with humans for hundreds of years, particularly racing pigeon owners and people rearing poultry and gamebirds.

The increase in population of the Eurasian sparrowhawk coincides with the decline in house sparrows in Britain.

The Old Norse name for the Eurasian sparrowhawk, sparrhaukr, was thought to have been coined by Vikings who encountered falconry in England.

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English folk names for the Eurasian sparrowhawk include blue hawk, referring to the adult male's colouration, as well as hedge hawk, spar hawk, spur hawk and stone falcon.

Eurasian sparrowhawk was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 landmark 10th edition of Systema Naturae, as Falco nisus, but moved to its present genus by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.

Eurasian sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey with short, broad wings and a long tail, both adaptations to manoeuvring through trees.

Eurasian sparrowhawk has slate-grey upperparts, with finely red-barred underparts, which can look plain orange from a distance; his irides are orange-yellow or orange-red.

Eurasian sparrowhawk's has dark brown or greyish-brown upperparts, and brown-barred underparts, and bright yellow to orange irides.

Natural predators of the Eurasian sparrowhawk include the barn owl, the tawny owl, the northern goshawk, the peregrine falcon, the golden eagle, the eagle owl, the red fox, the stone marten and the pine marten.

Eurasian sparrowhawk has been used in falconry for centuries and was favoured by Emperor Akbar the Great of the Mughal Empire.

In 17th century England, the Eurasian sparrowhawk was used by priests, reflecting their lowly status; whereas in the Middle Ages, they were favoured by ladies of noble and royal status because of their small size.

In Slavic mythology, the Eurasian sparrowhawk, known as krahui or krahug, is a sacred bird in Old Bohemian songs and lives in a grove of the gods.