The
Accipitrinae is the
subfamilyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of the Accipitridae often known as the "true" hawks, including all members of
AccipiterThe genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large...
and the closely related
generaIn biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
MelieraxMelierax is a genus of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It contains the following species:* Dark Chanting Goshawk * Pale Chanting Goshawk * Eastern Chanting Goshawk...
,
Urotriorchis,
ErythrotriorchisErythrotriorchis is a genus of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It contains the following species:* Chestnut-shouldered Goshawk * Red Goshawk -Etymology:...
and
Megatriorchis. The large and widespread genus
Accipiter includes
goshawk-Bird species:* Species of birds of prey, mainly in the genus Accipiter:** Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis** Crested Goshawk, Accipiter trivirgatus** Sulawesi Goshawk, Accipiter griseiceps** Red-chested Goshawk, Accipiter toussenelii...
s, sparrowhawks, the
Sharp-shinned HawkThe Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small hawk. In fact, "sharp-shins" or "sharpies" are the smallest to reside in USA and Canada, though some Neotropical species are smaller...
and others. They are primarily
woodlandEcologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
birdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch, with long tails, broad wings and high visual acuity facilitating this lifestyle. In light of recent
genetic researchGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, the
kitesKites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....
of the traditional subfamily Milvinae may also belong to this group.
Hawks, including the accipitrines, are believed to have vision several times as sharp as that of the
humanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
species, in part because of the great number of photoreceptor cells in their
retinaThe vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
s (up to 1,000,000 per square mm, against 200,000 for humans), a very high number of
nerveA neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...
s connecting the receptors to the
brainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
, and an indented
foveaThe fovea centralis, also generally known as the fovea , is a part of the eye, located in the center of the macula region of the retina....
, which magnifies the central portion of the
visual fieldThe term visual field is sometimes used as a synonym to field of view, though they do not designate the same thing. The visual field is the "spatial array of visual sensations available to observation in introspectionist psychological experiments", while 'field of view' "refers to the physical...
.
Species in taxonomic order
- Subfamily Accipitrinae
- Genus Accipiter
- Northern Goshawk, A. gentilis
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk, A. nisus
- Grey-bellied Hawk, A. poliogaster
- Crested Goshawk
The Crested Goshawk is a bird of prey from tropical Asia. It is related to other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers, and thus placed in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
, A. trivirgatus
- Sulawesi Goshawk
The Sulawesi Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests....
, A. griseiceps
- Red-chested Goshawk
The Red-chested Goshawk is a hawk of West Africa. It is often considered conspecific with the African Goshawk.-Range and habitat:...
, A. toussenelii
- African Goshawk
The African Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.As defined here following the Handbook of the Birds of the World, it is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique,...
, A. tachiro
- Chinese Sparrowhawk, A. soloensis
- Frances's Sparrowhawk
Frances' Goshawk is a small hawk. The nominate subspecies, A. f. francesiae, is endemic to Madagascar. The race from Anjouan, Accipiter francesiae pusillus is possibly extinct....
, A. francesii
- Anjouan Sparrowhawk, Accipiter francesiae pusillus
- Spot-tailed Sparrowhawk, A. trinotatus
- Grey Goshawk
The Grey Goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae, the white morph of which is known as the White Goshawk, is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
, A. novaehollandiae
- Brown Goshawk
The Brown Goshawk is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands.- Description:...
, A. fasciatus
- Christmas Goshawk, Accipiter fasciatus natalis
- Pied Goshawk
The Pied Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests....
, A. albogularis
- Fiji Goshawk
The Fiji Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It was once considered to be the same species as the Brown Goshawk of Australia and New Caledonia. It is endemic to Fiji, where it occurs on the larger islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau and Ovalau...
, A. rufitorques
- White-bellied Goshawk
The White-bellied Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is endemic to New Caledonia...
, A. haplochrous
- Moluccan Goshawk
The Moluccan Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests....
, A. henicogrammus
- Grey-headed Goshawk
The Grey-headed Goshawk, Accipiter poliocephalus, is a lightly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Identification:...
, A. poliocephalus
- New Britain Goshawk
The New Britain Goshawk is a bird of prey species in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea....
, A. princeps
- Black Sparrowhawk, A. melanoleucus
- Henst's Goshawk
Henst's Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and plantations.It is threatened by...
, A. henstii
- Meyer's Goshawk
Meyer's Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands....
, A. meyerianus
- Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk
The Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, and Uganda....
, A. castanilius
- Nicobar Sparrowhawk
The Nicobar Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. There are two subspecies, the nominate race which is found on Car Nicobar in the north of the archipelago, and A. b. obsoletus, from Katchal and Camorta in the central...
, A. butleri
- Levant Sparrowhawk
The Levant Sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers....
, A. brevipes
- Slaty-mantled Sparrowhawk
The Slaty-mantled Goshawk , also known as the Slaty-mantled Sparrowhawk, or Slaty-backed Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat...
, A. luteoschistaceus
- Imitator Sparrowhawk
The Imitator Goshawk or Imitator Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.It is threatened...
, A. imitator
- Red-thighed Sparrowhawk
The Red-thighed Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria,...
, A. erythropus
- Little Sparrowhawk
The Little Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,...
, A. minullus
- Japanese Sparrowhawk
The Japanese Sparrowhawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers....
, A. gularis
- Dwarf Sparrowhawk, A. nanus
- Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk
The Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests....
, A. erythrauchen
- Collared Sparrowhawk
The Collared Sparrowhawk is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, and New Guinea and nearby smaller islands.- Description :...
, A. cirrocephalus
- New Britain Sparrowhawk
The New Britain Sparrowhawk is a threatened species of bird of prey. It is endemic to two Papua New Guinea islands, New Britain and New Ireland. Even in 1934 Ernst Mayr, in his survey of mountain bird life during the Whitney South Sea Expedition, found the New Britain Sparrowhawk to be very rare...
, A. brachyurus
- Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk
The Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Indonesia....
, A. rhodogaster
- Madagascar Sparrowhawk
The Madagascar Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is endemic to Madagascar...
, A. madagascariensis
- Ovambo Sparrowhawk, A. ovampensis
- Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk
The Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk , also known as the Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family...
, A. rufiventris
- Shikra
The Shikra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the Little Banded Goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the Shikra...
, A. badius
- Tiny Hawk
The Tiny Hawk is a small diurnal bird of prey found in or near forests, primarily humid, throughout much of the Neotropics. It is primarily a bird-eater, and is known to prey on hummingbirds....
, A. superciliosus
- Semicollared Hawk
The Semi-collared Hawk is a bird of prey species of in the Accipitridae family. Usually named Accipiter collaris, it is the sister species of the Tiny Hawk . The latter is the only species of the genus Accipiter yet studied which has a large procoracoid foramen...
, A. collaris
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small hawk. In fact, "sharp-shins" or "sharpies" are the smallest to reside in USA and Canada, though some Neotropical species are smaller...
, A. striatus
- White-breasted Hawk, A. s. chionogaster
- Plain-breasted Hawk, A. s. ventralis
- Rufous-thighed Hawk, A. s. erythronemius
- Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from Canada to Mexico. As in many birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female...
, A. cooperii
- Gundlach's Hawk
The Gundlach's Hawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to Cuba.Its natural habitats are dry forests and lowland moist forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:*...
, A. gundlachi
- Bicolored Hawk, A. bicolor
- Besra
The Besra, Accipiter virgatus, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.The Besra is a widespread resident breeder in dense forests throughout south Asia from Pakistan and India to south China and Indonesia. It nests in trees, building a new nest each year...
, A. virgatus
- Genus Melierax
- Gabar Goshawk
The Gabar Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,...
, M. gabar
- Dark Chanting Goshawk
The Dark Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The Accipitridae also include many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers....
, M. metabates
- Eastern Chanting Goshawk
The Eastern Chanting Goshawk or Somali Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey of East Africa.-Taxonomy:...
, M. poliopterus
- Pale Chanting Goshawk
The Pale Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.This hawk breeds in southern Africa. It is a resident species of dry, open semi-desert with 75 cm or less annual rainfall. It is commonly seen perched on roadside telephone poles.This species is 56–65 cm long. The...
, M. canorus
- Genus Urotriorchis
- Long-tailed Hawk
The Long-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers. It is the only member of the genus Urotriorchis....
, U. macrourus
- Genus Erythrotriorchis
- Red Goshawk
The Red Goshawk is probably the rarest Australian bird of prey. It is found mainly in the savanna woodlands of northern Australia, particularly near watercourses...
, E. radiatus
- Chestnut-shouldered Goshawk
The Chestnut-shouldered Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, E. buergersi
- Genus Megatriorchis
- Doria's Goshawk
Doria's Goshawk, Megatriorchis doriae, is a raptor, the only member of the genus Megatriorchis.-Description:At up to 69 cm long, it is among the biggest hawks in the broad sense. It is greyish-brown with a black-barred crown and upperparts, whitish underparts, a black streak behind the eye,...
, M. doriae
Hawks and humans
Hawks are sometimes used in
falconryFalconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
, a sport in which trained
birds of preyBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
are flown at small
gameA game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
for
sportA Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
.
External links