Birds of prey of the eagle family, found on every continent except Antarctica. “True” hawks such as goshawks and sparrowhawks are woodland hunters with short, broad wings; in the US the name also covers the broad-winged buzzards.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Trained for falconry, which used to be called hawking, rather than kept as pets.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatForest, Grassland, Farmland
ColoursBrown, White, Grey
SizeMedium
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for12–20 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every continent except Antarctica.
- What it eats
- Live prey, often ambushed with a sudden dash from a hidden perch.
Did you know
Each eye has two foveae, the patches of sharpest vision.
Each hawk eye has two foveae, the patches of sharpest vision.
Often confused with
- Eagle
Eagles and hawks belong to the same family. “Eagle” marks the bigger species.
Compare side by side - Falcon
Hawks kill with their talons; falcons kill with a notch on the beak and have longer, pointed wings.
Compare side by side - Buzzard
In the US, buzzards of this group are called hawks.
Compare side by side
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