American Goshawk Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  American Goshawks are large hawks and the largest and bulkiest of the accipiters. They have broad, rounded wings and long tails. Relatively long secondary flight feathers give the trailing edge of the wing a curved or bulging look; the wingtips can look pointed in flight. Females are larger than males.

  Relative Size

  Females can be nearly as large as a Red-tailed Hawk; males are only slightly larger than a female Cooper’s Hawk.

  between crow and goose

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 20.9-25.2 in (53-64 cm)
    • Weight: 22.3-48.1 oz (631-1364 g)
    • Wingspan: 40.5-46.1 in (103-117 cm)

  © George Chiu / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult goshawks are dark slate gray above with pale gray barred underparts. They have a dark head with a wide white stripe over the eye; the eye is orange to red. Immatures are brown and streaky, with narrow dark bands in the tail. They have an indistinct pale eyebrow stripe and yellow eyes.

• Behavior

  Goshawks are stealthy predators that watch for prey on high perches and then attack with quick, agile flight, even through dense trees or cluttered understory. They fly with a few relatively slow wingbeats interspersed with short glides.

• Habitat

  Goshawks are birds of wild forests and tend to occur in large tracts. Across much of their range they live mainly in coniferous forests, but they may occur in deciduous hardwood forest as well (such as in the northeastern U.S.).