The goshawk is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family of real hawks, and is named after its "addiction" to choose black grouse as its prey, although it does not disdain other birds: ducks, grouse, blackbirds, pigeons. And domestic hens are not immune from the possibility of dying in the clawed claws of a bird of prey. Also, the winged hunter will not miss the opportunity to grab a bunny or a squirrel and other small rodents. Villagers say that there are times when a hawk drags little lambs and kids that have been left unattended. And once a hawk fired a small puppy!
These feathered predators are found both in North America, and in Asia, and Europe. This bird is the largest of its family. This species of hawks gets used to any living conditions, perfectly adapts to captivity. Therefore, it can often be seen in menageries and zoos. And many hunters tame hawks, acquiring an individual even in the “tender” chicks age, making it a real hand-made assistant - a hunter for black grouse and hares.
The goshawk, like all other hawks, has characteristic white stripes of feathers above the eyes - this creates the effect of white eyebrows. For the color of the eyes of ripened adults, red-brown is characteristic, and for young animals it is bright yellow.
The color of males and females can vary significantly, ranging from pure black and reaching grayish-bluish. The sizes of males and females also differ - females are larger. Their body length reaches 60 cm, weight –2 kg, and the wings are so huge that their wingspan can be 110 centimeters.
Goshawk prefers settled existence. Throughout his life he keeps closer to one territory and forms one pair for life. Although the hawks that inhabit the north can fly to warmer climes for the winter.
Their muscles are impeccably developed, their paws are “equipped” with powerful claws. The wings of the goshawk are short, but its tail is rather long. Thanks to this, the feathered one can easily maneuver in the air during the flight, doing incredible tricks in order to grab his victim as accurately as possible. He can sit long enough on a branch or in the crown of a tree, waiting for prey, but at the right moment he suddenly rushes, thereby discouraging a poor animal. Goshawk is an aggressive bird with excellent hunting skills.
Hawks are lonely in nature, each bird has its own territory. Nests of goshawks are built in the spring, in early March. As a rule, nests are located at a level of 5 to 18 meters from the ground, so that no one interferes with hatching future offspring. Building material is almost typical of other birds: dried branches, grass and moss, thick branches, tree bark and needles. The diameter of the nest is 60-70 cm.
The hawk is a very practical bird. Since the couple stays together for a long time, “until death do them part,” the “spouses” are not concerned about the annual construction: they can lay eggs in the same nest for several years in a row. If necessary, in order to avoid its complete destruction, the repair of the nest, of course, will not take long. However, the hawk bird still prefers to patch up the old rather than start building a new house from scratch.
The laid eggs have an incubation period of about 38 days, their number varies from 2 to 4. While the female is sitting on the eggs, the hawk obtains food and brings it to her lover. There are such cases that the female flies away for prey, then the scrupulous father has to protect the offspring.
A pair of hawks diligently guards their territory, especially if they are expected to withdraw chicks or already have babies in the nest. The feathered birds react to the slightest potential danger instantly: they dive from above at the offender, peck at the head and eyes and beat with sharp claws.
Small chicks of a goshawk usually hatch in June. Mom for 3 weeks does not fly out of the nest, vigilantly watching the babies. The male hawk brings the whole carcasses of preyed animals, and the female, tearing small pieces, feeds the hungry small hawks.
The first feathers to replace fluff in chicks appear by the end of 2 weeks. But even when this process ends, young individuals are still different from adults. The upper plumage of them becomes brown, a little with a mottled redhead, and the bottom is yellowish-red, the color of ocher. The eyes of adolescents are bright yellow.
Goshawks are good parents: they protect the chicks from other predators, raise, feed and most importantly - they learn to hunt. At the age of one month, the grown chicks leave the nests, moving to branches, and under the supervision of adults learn to fly and hunt.