Hello! Sparrowhawk or Goshawk Saw this bird sweep in across the river Hodder and dive to grab a rook (in a group, all standing, in an open field) All the rooks flew up with a big racket and chased the predator who flew into a lone tree in the field) We watched from the rear patio of the Inn at Whitewell, Forest of Bowland. Taxonomy. According to the sheet of paper I have listing the comparative features of the Collared Sparrowhawk & the Brown Goshawk the middle toe on the former extends beyond the other two toes. Sparrowhawk or Goshawk? Accipiter sp. Status. Irish Name: Spioróg: Scientific name: Accipiter nisus: Bird Family: Raptors: green Conservation status. Thank you. Tweet; Description: This raptor flew over our village and put to flight just about every bird in the village, including numerous starlings and collared doves. Goshawk - Goshawks can look similar to sparrowhawks (a large female sparrowhawk can be almost the same size as a male goshawk), but again, they don't really 'do' gardens. They are very shy birds which inhabit large areas of woodland or tracts of open countryside. I'd say Sparrowhawk, adult female, because it seemed quite big - that's why my second thaughts would be maybe even Goshawk. Hi, we were out earlier today on the edge of quite a large piece of woodland and a fairly large bird flew into the foliage and disturbed a flock of Siskins ( I think) I was by this stage more interested in getting the Hawk in focus. Sparrowhawk. Sparrowhawk or Goshawk. The species' name dates back to the Middle English word sperhauk and Old English spearhafoc, a hawk which hunts sparrows. Greg, I think this is a Collared Sparrowhawk. Within the family Accipitridae, the Eurasian sparrowhawk is a member of the large genus Accipiter, which consists of small to medium-sized woodland hawks.Most of the Old World members of the genus are called sparrowhawks or goshawks. Identification. Common resident, with occasional winter visitors from Continental Europe. Small hooked bill suitable for eating meat. A small bird of prey (raptor) with broad wings with blunt wing tips and a long tail. The middle toe of the Brown Goshawk … Can anybody please tell me what bird is this?