Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

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Photo credit: Gordon Court

The goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is North America’s largest accipiter (50-60 cm tall). They have grey underparts, a light white stripe over the eye and five finger-like wing tip feathers (emarginate primaries).  The large, bulky stick nest (eyrie) of goshawks is usually built by the tiercel and located in a tall tree within the forest. The nest may be reused in subsequent years. Two or three eggs are laid in mid-June. The young birds (eyasses) are fed lemmings, squirrels, hares and grouse by both parents and learn to fly when they are 45 days old. Nest success as well as the distance traveled south every winter seems to reflect prey abundance.  During fall, most goshawks leave the NWT and migrate south to over-winter in southern Canada and teh USA.  Some however remain, making the goshawk one of the few raptor species resident in the NWT throughout the year.