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American Goshawk

Silhouette AccipitersAccipiters
American GoshawkAccipiter atricapillus
  • ORDER: Accipitriformes
  • FAMILY: Accipitridae

Basic Description

The American Goshawk is the bigger, fiercer, wilder relative of the Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks that prowl suburbs and backyards. It’s an accipiter—a type of hawk with short, broad wings and a long rudderlike tail that give it superb aerial agility. These secretive birds are mostly gray as adults, with bold white “eyebrow” stripes over piercing orange to red eyes. American Goshawks flash through forests chasing bird and mammal prey, pouncing silently or crashing feet first through brush to grab quarry in crushingly strong talons.

More ID Info
image of range map for American Goshawk
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

American Goshawks are secretive birds that typically live in large tracts of forest, so they are hard to find. They are vocal near their nests, but they are also fiercely defensive and have been known to attack people who come too close to a nest—please think twice before you approach a calling bird. Remember that goshawks don’t typically occur in populated areas, so any accipiter that you see in town or near a bird feeder is more likely a large Cooper’s Hawk than a goshawk. Your best chance of finding a American Goshawk is to spend time in mature forest being as quiet, observant—and patient—as possible.

Other Names

  • Azor Norteamericano (Spanish)
  • Autour d'Amérique (French)
  • Cool Facts