The Great Northern Goshawk

Lorraine Julien | Nov 22, 2012

The Northern Goshawk is the raptor cottagers are most likely to encounter deep in the woods in the dead of winter. It will brave the snow and cold as long as there are enough snowshoe hares, grouse and squirrels to feed on. The name “Goshawk” is derived from an old English name “Goose Hawk” – it has also been called a Chicken Hawk.

Of the 19 species of raptors, or birds of prey in Canada, three are hawks of the genus Accipiter. They are the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the Cooper’s Hawk. Typical of Accipiters they are all swift flying, small to medium sized hawks with rounded short wings and long tails. The wide wings and long tail provide perfect control. The Northern Goshawk is the largest and most powerful of the Accipiters ranging from the northern reaches of North America south to central Mexico. It also can be found in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

The Northern Goshawk is larger than a crow, which averages about 315-595 g. The female goshawk averages 860-1360 g. – the male is a bit smaller. This reclusive, striking-looking raptor is gray like the colour of gunsmoke with piercing red eyes that glow like fiery embers. The breast feathers are a pale gray but are crossbarred with dark gray. The bold, white stripe above its eyes just adds to the look of ferocity. Its long, sharp talons dig into its prey like daggers. This large, powerful raptor combines the size of a Buteo (e.g. Red-tailed hawk, Broad-winged hawk) with the killing skills of an Accipiter.

Falconers have long prized the goshawk for its strength, speed and fearless hunting style. The legend of its hunting dates back to the days of Attila the Hun when he ravaged the Roman Empire. Attila’s war helmet was emblazoned with the image of a goshawk.

Goshawks inhabit Ontario’s northern forests, preferring mature stands of evergreens, mixed with maple, beech and birch. They prefer areas with relatively clear forest floors where they can easily scan for signs of prey from their concealed hunting perches. In doing research for this article, I’ve noted goshawk sightings just recently from the Toronto area through to Ottawa so they are fairly wide ranging in southern Ontario.

It’s amazing that birds of any size can seemingly fly through a thick stand of trees without touching one twig or branch. The goshawk is especially good at this precision flying, probably because of its really long tail which acts like a rudder, helping it to manoeuvre through dense tree branches and shrubs with amazing speed and dexterity while giving chase to its victims. It can strike with a force that can kill prey more than twice its own weight, using its talons to dig in on contact.

Females are larger and chunkier than their partners and can run down even the largest snowshoe hares and grouse. The smaller, more agile male can easily catch red squirrels, robins and jays. Their nests are large, bulky masses of twigs usually placed in a three-way fork of a tree (usually a conifer) 20 – 60 feet above ground. The 2-5 pale blue eggs are laid by early to mid-April and incubated by the female. All Accipiters are very secretive so it is unlikely you’d find one of their nests. If you should happen to get too close to a nest, the goshawks are apt to attack you. I’ve noticed several videos showing these attacks on YouTube.

Most goshawks prefer to stay in the north as long as prey is plentiful. Once every decade or so though, grouse and snowshoe hare populations crash simultaneously (the most recent crash was in 2001). Faced with starvation, goshawks flee by the tens of thousands, heading south in what are called invasions.

In contrast, immature goshawks wander south almost every winter. By spring, their brown juvenile feathers are replaced by the gray plumage of an adult. The change from brown feathers to the adult grey plumage takes more than a year. The youthful yellow eyes begin to glow orange, then red-orange. For several more years, the eyes continue to darken until they turn to a dark, blood red. The winter and fall months are spent alone but, come late February, early March, they return to nest sites and noisily beckon potential spouses and the age old cycle begins again.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.