Nothern goshawk

    Accipiter gentilis

Castilian: Azor común

Catalan: Astor

Gallego: Azor

Euskera: Aztore arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Falconiformes

Family: Accipitridae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It is one of the birds of prey most affected by electrical cables, hunting, and nest plundering for the bird's use in falconry.

Length / size: 49-56 cm / 58-64 cm

Identification: Medium-sized bird of prey with short, wide and rounded wings, a long tail and marked sexual dimorphism. The male has dark grey plumage on his back, the bottom part of his wings, and chest; his belly has horizontal bars; and a distinct white forehead. The female is larger, brown, and has thicker bars and a less distinct forehead.

Song: It makes a deep sound, "pyeeea pyeeea", followed by a "kaw kaw kaw".

Diet: It is a generalist species and adapts well to whatever prey it can find in its surroundings, but it is a specialist at hunting two groups of vertebrates: medium-sized birds, such as ravens and pigeons, and mammals, such as rabbits, hares and squirrels. It can also catch large lizards, small birds of brey and the occasional weasel.

Reproduction: It begins in winter, when the male performs constant pecking motions in order to court the female. It nests in calm areas atop large trees, near rivers or streams. Both adults prepare the nest, or they repair it, given that the nests are usually from other birds (crows), and are a platform of branches and sticks that increase in size from year to year. The female is responsible for incubation and, one the chicks have been born, she is responsible for feeding them the prey that the male catches. After a certain amount of time the female joins the male to look for food, while the chicks wait.

HABITAT

It in habits vast forest areas with no preference. In our country, it is found in beech forests, oak and cork oak forests, thick meadows, etc.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed across a large part of the peninsula: more evenly in the north because of the abundance of wooded areas, and less evenly in the south due to the lack of this kind of area.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces.

Movements and migrations: Only juveniles and immature specimens travel short distances until they find their own territory. Specimens from nothern areas sometimes reach our country, due to the harshness of the climate.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 3500-6500 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 800-1100 breeding pairs.