Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

Sparrowhawk

Nature is red in tooth and claw. The sparrowhawk is a raptor meaning that it catches and kills its prey which is usually other birds. There are no concepts of mercy in this. It is a killing machine and will surprise its prey by suddenly appearing over hedges or through trees. The bird is caught in the long, hooked and very sharp talons and then what happens may depend on where the incident occurred.

The victim may be killed using talons and beak but if the sparrowhawk is near shallow water such as deepish puddle the sparrowhawk will drag the hapless creature to the water and drown it. Perhaps this leads to a quicker death but it is not done out of mercy it is done to make the kill easier and less risky for the sparrowhawk.

If the capture is not near water the sparrowhawk will mantle the prey as it deals with it. Mantling means spreading its wings over the prey to shield it from the view of potential competitors. If you come across a pile of feathers, but no other sign of a body you are likely to have found the place where a sparrowhawk plucked its prey before eating it. I have found such evidence alongside the Schiehallion road and in Faskally woods, for example.

Sparrowhawks are now relatively common at in Rannoch and can be seen circling overhead or in gardens suddenly appearing and at bird feeders to attempt the capture of small birds. This has happened several times in our garden and once the sparrowhawk clattered about awkwardly on the wooden roof of the bird table. Its long curved talons are not convenient for walking on hard surfaces. Incidentally, the talons and beak are made of the same protein as the feathers and indeed our fingernails and hair and rhino horns. The protein is keratin, a very versatile substance.

The female sparrowhawk is considerably larger than the male. The most obvious advantage of this ‘sexual dimorphism’ is that the two can between them, catch a more diverse range of prey. The female is large enough to tackle magpies, jays and wood pigeons. The male is agile enough to catch bluetits, robins and sparrows.

As with many birds of prey the sparrowhawk is subject to ‘mobbing’ by other birds. The mobbing birds fly at the sparrowhawk giving alarm calls and trying to harass it without being caught. If the sparrowhawk has caught a bird it will be occupied with holding and killing that bird and is not so able to deal with the mobbers attentions.

Sparrowhawks have relatively short and rounded wings adapted for rapid and manoeuvrable flight in confined circumstances such as woods and thickets. They can fold the wings to fly through small gaps which helps in the surprise attacks. People who fly sparrowhawks and the larger cousin, the goshawk, are strictly known as austringers rather than falconers. Sparrowhawks and goshawks are accipiters which is the hawk group of birds of prey as opposed to the falcon group which have pointed wings.

Creative Commons - credit Steve Ward (Male Sparrowhawk)

Creative Commons - credit Sylvia Duckwork (Female Sparrowhawk)

Creative Commons - credit Snowmanradio (Sparrowhawk in flight showing the rounded wings).