Goshawk

LIVING HABITS

The goshawk prefers to live in old and quiet mixed forests and conifer forests. They build several twig nests, and use each nest a different year. The day-active goshawk is a very skilled hunter. Their technique is based on attacking the prey by surprise. As a proficient flier, they swerve in the cover of vegetation to get closer to the prey before striking. The prey consists of small mammals and small to mid-size birds. The goshawk’s breeding range reaches from Western Europe through Russia to the shores of the Pacific and all the way to Japan. They also nest in Northern America. In Finland, goshawks can be found throughout the country.

PROTECTION

The goshawk is a thriving species globally. The goshawk has been persecuted, as hunters have experienced the goshawk as a rival. Before the goshawk became a protected species, in 1989, thousands of goshawks were killed annually in Finland. The illegal harassment of the nesting and the downright killing of the goshawk can still be detected even today in some parts of Finland. The actions of the modern forestry in Finland nowadays pose a special threat to the goshawk species: forests are being split up, and thick-branch nesting tree ideal for the goshawk are disappearing.

ADAPTING TO WINTER

Old goshawks are non-migratory. The young ones, on the other hand, migrate away from the North for the winter. Goshawks that live the furthest up North may migrate further down to the South in search for better lighting to hunt food in the winter.