From tiny Merlins to enormous White-tailed Eagles, the UK’s birds of prey come in all shapes and sizes. These masterful predators are a real treat to see, but they’re often super-fast and many species look quite similar, which can make identifying them a challenge. In this guide, we share some simple ID tips to help you.
Goshawks are woodland birds, but are very secretive and difficult to see, and are very unlikely to turn up in a garden like a Sparrowhawk. They were persecuted to extinction in the UK, but breeding population has re-established. Today, they’re most common in southern Scotland, Northern England and Wales.
Goshawks are excellent hunters and take a wide variety of prey, including pigeons, crows, squirrels and Rabbits. They hunt like Sparrowhawks, using surprise and agility to sneak up on their prey, and are amazingly adept at flying through tiny gaps in dense woodland undergrowth.
