![]() ![]() They are very shy birds which inhabit large areas of woodland or tracts of open countryside. ![]() Goshawk - Goshawks can look similar to sparrowhawks (a large female sparrowhawk can be almost the same size as a male goshawk), but again, they don't really 'do' gardens. It's very unlikely that you'll see one sitting on a fence or roof. Unlike sparrowhawks, merlins and other falcons always have all-dark eyes. They are supremely adapted for hunting in open country - the enclosed spaces of gardens just aren't their style. Merlin - In 99 per cent of garden situations, merlins can be ruled out. Again, look at the eyes - peregrine eyes are all-dark. Peregrine - Although peregrines are breeding successfully in many UK cities now, a bird which has killed a pigeon in your garden is still more likely to be a sparrowhawk. Kestrel - Kestrels sometimes come into gardens, but sparrowhawks are more common visitors. If you can see their eyes, sparrowhawks have piercing yellow or orangey irises, whereas kestrels' eyes are all-dark. As they get older, their eyes turn from yellow to orange. Sparrowhawk (adult male) - Adult male sparrowhawks have orange breasts and slate-grey or bluish backs and wings. Adult female sparrowhawks are also brownish, but with horizontal bars on the breast feathers and a greyer back and wings. Their breast feathers have brown streaks or chevrons. The hawks watched the owls babies at night and the owls watched the hawks during the day. This is hard to believe but we found a nest with a pair of hawks AND owls in it. Sparrowhawk (less than a year old) - Young sparrowhawks have brown wings and backs, with chestnut-brown edges to the feathers. Answer (1 of 11): I work at a raptor hospital. Our Wildlife Enquiries team probably receives more queries about sparrowhawks than any other species of bird of prey. They can be confused with several other birds of prey. ![]()
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