Sparrowhawk see 40 pictures of an efficient killing machine.

Sparrowhawk see 40 pictures of an efficient killing machine

The first time I wrote about a Sparrowhawk visit to our garden was back in June 2021. Since that first visit we have had another two garden visits. The second was in February of this year (2024) and the third and most recent was earlier this week.

I’ve written before that although small, they really are quite a striking bird. Like all birds of prey the female is larger than the male. This hawk is a bird that although pretty dependent on a woodland environment is quite widespread across the UK.

Because of their relatively small size they can be difficult to spot … unless of course one lands on your lawn for lunch.

The last time we had a Sparrowhawk eating on the lawn we witnessed the pretty gruesome sight of a pigeon being demolished.

This time it was a much smaller bird – a sparrow that had met it’s fate at the talons of a hawk.

You can find a collection of images in the picture gallery of the action in the garden – before the hawk flew away with its prey to eat it elsewhere.

And some Sparrowhawk facts

Apparently the chance of a juvenile sparrowhawk surviving its first year is as low as 34%. Almost 70% of adult surviving from one year to the next. These hawks have an average lifespan of around four years.

The oldest known wild Eurasian sparrowhawk lived more than two decades and was found dead in Denmark 20 years and 3 months (it had been ringed)

Birds in their first year of life weigh less than adults, and are especially light in the first two months after reaching independence.

A study from southern Scotland indicated that the increased mortality in young male birds may be because of their smaller size and the smaller size of their prey;

It has been estimated that a female Eurasian sparrowhawk of average weight could survive for seven days without feeding – three days longer than a male of average weight.