Listen to the Eurasian sparrowhawk
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Eurasian sparrowhawk
The Eurasian sparrowhawk is a bird in the family Accipitridae (order Accipitriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 67 cm and weigh around 150 g.
What does the Eurasian sparrowhawk sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as call and begging call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below. The female is up to 25% larger than the male – one of the greatest size differences between the sexes in any bird species. Though it is a predator which specialises in catching woodland birds, the Eurasian sparrowhawk can be found in any habitat and often hunts garden birds in towns and cities. Males tend to take smaller birds, including tits, finches and sparrows; females catch primarily thrushes and starlings but are capable of killing birds weighing 500 g (18 oz) or more.
Related birds in the genus Accipiter
More from the family Accipitridae
Frequently asked questions
What does an Eurasian sparrowhawk sound like?
You can hear 3 recordings of the Eurasian sparrowhawk on this page, including its call and begging call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the Eurasian sparrowhawk endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian sparrowhawk as “least concern”.
What family does the Eurasian sparrowhawk belong to?
The Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.
Sources & credits
- Call · Prague, Hlavní město Praha, Prague, Czech Republic by Jan Cibulka – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Accipiter nisus - Eurasian Sparrowhawk by Alvaro Ortiz Troncoso – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call · Auchinleck, East Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom by Steven Wilson – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q25380 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Eurasian sparrowhawk – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Meneer Zjeroen – CC BY 2.0