Shikra (Accipiter badius) with a Garden Lizard W IMG 8988

The Accipitrinae are the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of the

Accipitridae The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-s ...

often known as the "true" hawks, including all members of ''

Accipiter ''Accipiter'' is a genus of Bird of prey, birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. With 51 recognized species it is the most diverse genus in its family. Most species are called goshawks or sparrowhawks, although almost all New World species (ex ...

'' and the closely related

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Microspizias ''Microspizias'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It contains the following species: * Tiny hawk (''Microspizias superciliosus'') * Semicollared hawk (''Microspizias collaris'') Both species were formerly classified in the ...

'', ''

Erythrotriorchis ''Erythrotriorchis'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It contains the following species: * Chestnut-shouldered goshawk (''Erythrotriorchis buergersi'') * Red goshawk (''Erythrotriorchis radiatus'') Etymology "Erythro-" is ...

'', and '' Megatriorchis''. The large and widespread genus ''Accipiter'' includes

goshawk Goshawk may refer to several species of birds of prey, mainly in the genus ''Accipiter'': * Northern goshawk, ''Accipiter gentilis'', often referred to simply as the goshawk, since it is the only goshawk found in much of its range (in Europe and N ...

sparrowhawk Sparrowhawk (sometimes sparrow hawk) may refer to several species of small hawk in the genus ''Accipiter''. "Sparrow-hawk" or sparhawk originally referred to ''Accipiter nisus'', now called "Eurasian" or "northern" sparrowhawk to distinguish it f ...

s, the

sharp-shinned hawk The sharp-shinned hawk (''Accipiter striatus'') is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical realm, Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. ...

and others. They are primarily

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch, with long tails, broad wings and high visual acuity facilitating this lifestyle. In light of recent

genetic research Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wo ...

, the

kites A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

of the traditional subfamily

Milvinae The Milvinae kites are found in the family Accipitridae The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. ...

may also belong to this group. Hawks, including the accipitrines, are believed to have vision several times sharper than

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

, in part because of the great number of

photoreceptor cell A photoreceptor cell is a specialized type of neuroepithelial cell found in the retina that is capable of visual phototransduction. The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that they convert light (visible electromagnetic radiatio ...

s in their

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then ...

s (up to 1,000,000 per square mm, against 200,000 for humans), a very high number of

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

s connecting the receptors to the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

, and an indented

fovea Fovea () (Latin for "pit"; plural foveae ) is a term in anatomy. It refers to a pit or depression in a structure. Human anatomy *Fovea centralis of the retina * Fovea buccalis or Dimple * Fovea of the femoral head * Trochlear fovea of the fr ...

, which magnifies the central portion of the

visual field The visual field is the "spatial array of visual sensations available to observation in introspectionist psychological experiments". Or simply, visual field can be defined as the entire area that can be seen when an eye is fixed straight at a point ...

Species in taxonomic order

* Subfamily Accipitrinae ** Genus ''

'' ***

African goshawk The African goshawk (''Accipiter tachiro'') is an African species of bird of prey in the genus ''Accipiter'' which is the type genus of the family Accipitridae. Description The African goshawk is a medium-sized to large ''Accipiter'' which is m ...

, ''A. tachiro'' ***

Besra The besra (''Accipiter virgatus''), also called the besra sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The besra is a widespread resident breeder in dense forests throughout southern Asia, ranging from the Indian subcontinent east ...

, ''A. virgatus'' *** Bicolored hawk, ''A. bicolor'' ***

Black sparrowhawk The black sparrowhawk (''Accipiter melanoleucus''), sometimes known as the black goshawk or great sparrowhawk, is the largest African member of the genus ''Accipiter''.Arkive. Black goshawk (''Accipiter melanoleucus''). In: Arkive: Images of Lif ...

, ''A. melanoleucus'' ***

Brown goshawk The brown goshawk (''Accipiter fasciatus'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands. Description Its upperparts are grey with a chestnut collar; its underparts are mainly rufous, f ...

, ''A. fasciatus'' *** Chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk, ''A. castanilius'' ***

Chinese sparrowhawk The Chinese sparrowhawk (''Accipiter soloensis'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Distribution and habitat It breeds in Southeast China, Taiwan, Korea and Siberia; winters in Indonesia and Philippines, passing through the rest of ...

, ''A. soloensis'' ***

Christmas goshawk The Christmas goshawk (''Accipiter fasciatus natalis'') or Christmas Island goshawk, is a bird of prey in the goshawk and sparrowhawk family Accipitridae. It is a threatened endemic of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the eastern Ind ...

, Accipiter fasciatus natalis ***

Collared sparrowhawk The collared sparrowhawk (''Accipiter cirrocephalus'') is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, New Guinea and nearby smaller islands. As its name implies the collared sparrowhawk is a specialist in hunting sm ...

, ''A. cirrocephalus'' ***

Cooper's hawk Cooper's hawk (''Accipiter cooperii'') is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species is a member of the genus ''Accipiter'', sometimes referred to as true hawks, which are f ...

, ''A. cooperii'' ***

Crested goshawk The crested goshawk (''Accipiter trivirgatus'') is a bird of prey from tropical Asia. It is related to other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards (or buteos) and harriers, and thus placed in the family Accipitridae.Grimmett ''et al.'' (1999) ...

, ''A. trivirgatus'' ***

Dwarf sparrowhawk The dwarf sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nanus''), also known as the small sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Buton. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropic ...

, ''A. nanus'' ***

Eurasian sparrowhawk 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 ...

, ''A. nisus'' *** Fiji goshawk, ''A. rufitorques'' ***

Frances's sparrowhawk Frances's sparrowhawk (''Accipiter francesiae'') is a small bird of prey. The nominate subspecies, ''A. f. francesiae'', is endemic to Madagascar, the other subspecies are found in the Comoro Islands. The name commemorates Lady Frances Cole (die ...

, ''A. francesii'' ***

Grey goshawk The grey goshawk (''Accipiter novaehollandiae'') is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family ''Accipitridae'' that is found in eastern and northern Australia. The white morph of this species is known as the white goshawk. Taxo ...

, ''A. novaehollandiae'' *** Grey-bellied hawk, ''A. poliogaster'' *** Grey-headed goshawk, ''A. poliocephalus'' ***

Gundlach's hawk Gundlach's hawk (''Accipiter gundlachi'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is one of 21 Endemism, endemic bird species of Cuba. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German-Cuban ornithologist Juan Gundlac ...

, ''A. gundlachi'' ***

Henst's goshawk Henst's goshawk (''Accipiter henstii'') is a species a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is a large, diurnal bird endemic to the island of Madagascar. It is an obligate forest species that occurs at very low densities on the island and ...

, ''A. henstii'' *** Imitator sparrowhawk, ''A. imitator'' ***

Japanese sparrowhawk The Japanese sparrowhawk (''Accipiter gularis'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. It breeds in China, Japan, Korea and Siberia; winters in Indones ...

, ''A. gularis'' ***

Levant sparrowhawk The Levant sparrowhawk (''Accipiter brevipes'') is a small bird of prey. It measures in length with a wingspan of . The female is larger than the male, but the difference is not as marked as with Eurasian sparrowhawk. The adult male is blue-grey ...

, ''A. brevipes'' ***

Little sparrowhawk The little sparrowhawk (''Accipiter minullus'') is a species of Afrotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is the smallest member of the genus ''Accipiter'' and forms a superspecies with the red-thighed sparrowhawk (''Accipiter er ...

, ''A. minullus'' ***

Madagascar sparrowhawk The Madagascar sparrowhawk (''Accipiter madagascariensis'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowlan ...

, ''A. madagascariensis'' ***

Moluccan goshawk The Moluccan goshawk or Halmaheran goshawk (''Accipiter henicogrammus'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Halmahera, Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tro ...

, ''A. henicogrammus'' *** Meyer's goshawk, ''A. meyerianus'' *** New Britain goshawk, ''A. princeps'' ***

New Britain sparrowhawk The New Britain sparrowhawk (''Accipiter brachyurus'') is a threatened species of bird of prey. It is endemic to two Papua New Guinea islands, New Britain and New Ireland. Even in 1934 Ernst Mayr, in his survey of mountain bird life during the ...

, ''A. brachyurus'' ***

Nicobar sparrowhawk The Nicobar sparrowhawk (''Accipiter butleri'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. There are two subspecies, the nominate race which is found on Car Nicobar in the north of the ...

, ''A. butleri'' ***

Northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of prey, raptor in the Family (biology), family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harrier (bird) ...

, ''A. gentilis'' ***

Ovambo sparrowhawk The Ovambo or Ovampo sparrowhawk, also known as Hilgert's sparrowhawk, (''Accipiter ovampensis'') is a species of sub-Saharan African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It takes its name from the Ovamboland in northern Namibia. Descriptio ...

, ''A. ovampensis'' ***

Pied goshawk The pied goshawk (''Accipiter albogularis'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found on Bougainville Island and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropi ...

, ''A. albogularis'' *** Plain-breasted hawk, ''A. ventralis'' *** Red-chested goshawk, ''A. toussenelii'' ***

Red-thighed sparrowhawk The red-thighed sparrowhawk (''Accipiter erythropus''), alternatively known as the red-legged sparrowhawk or the western little sparrowhawk is a species of sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae from western and northern central Africa. Descript ...

, ''A. erythropus'' ***

Rufous-chested sparrowhawk The rufous-breasted sparrowhawk (''Accipiter rufiventris''), also known as the rufous-chested sparrowhawk and as the red-breasted sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of ...

, ''A. rufiventris'' ***

Rufous-necked sparrowhawk The rufous-necked sparrowhawk (''Accipiter erythrauchen'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropic ...

, ''A. erythrauchen'' *** Rufous-thighed hawk, ''A. erythronemius'' ***

Sharp-shinned hawk The sharp-shinned hawk (''Accipiter striatus'') is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical realm, Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. ...

, ''A. striatus'' ***

Shikra The shikra (''Accipiter badius'') is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usual ...

, ''A. badius'' ***

Slaty-mantled sparrowhawk The slaty-mantled goshawk (''Accipiter luteoschistaceus''), also known as the slaty-mantled sparrowhawk or slaty-backed sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago (Papua New Gu ...

, ''A. luteoschistaceus'' *** Spot-tailed sparrowhawk, ''A. trinotatus'' *** Sulawesi goshawk, ''A. griseiceps'' ***

Vinous-breasted sparrowhawk The vinous-breasted sparrowhawk (''Accipiter rhodogaster'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subt ...

, ''A. rhodogaster'' *** White-bellied goshawk, ''A. haplochrous'' ** Genus ''

'' *** Chestnut-shouldered goshawk, ''E. buergersi'' ***

Red goshawk The red goshawk (''Erythrotriorchis radiatus'') is probably the rarest Australian bird of prey. It is found mainly in the savanna woodlands of northern Australia, particularly near watercourses. It takes a broad range of live prey, mostly birds. ...

, ''E. radiatus'' ** Genus ''Megatriorchis'' ***

Doria's goshawk Doria's goshawk or Doria's hawk, (''Megatriorchis doriae'') is a raptor, the only member of the genus ''Megatriorchis''. Description At up to 69 cm long, it is among the biggest hawks in the broad sense. It is greyish-brown with a black-b ...

, ''M. doriae'' ** Genus ''

'' ***

Tiny hawk The tiny hawk (''Microspizias superciliosus'') is a small diurnal bird of prey found in or near forests, primarily humid, throughout much of the Neotropics. It is primarily a bird-eater, and is known to prey on hummingbirds. Taxonomy The tiny ...

, ''M. superciliosus'' ***

Semicollared hawk The semicollared hawk (''Microspizias collaris'') is a rare bird of prey species in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is potent ...

, ''M. collaris'' Several genera or species formerly classified in this subfamily, such as ''

Micronisus The gabar goshawk (''Micronisus gabar'') is a small species of African and Arabian bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Description The gabar goshawk is polymorphic and occurs in two distinct forms which fluctuate in relative abundance acro ...

'', '' Urotriorchis'', ''

'', and ''

Lophospiza The crested goshawk (''Accipiter trivirgatus'') is a bird of prey from tropical Asia. It is related to other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards (or buteos) and harrier (bird), harriers, and thus placed in the family (biology), family Accipi ...

'', have since been moved out of Accipitrinae following phylogenetic studies. In contrast, other genera such as ''

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

'' have since been reclassified into Accipitrinae.

Hawks and humans

Hawks are sometimes used in

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

, a sport in which trained

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

are flown at small

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

for

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

References

External links

Hawk videos
on the Internet Bird Collection
Hawk photos
taken on the central coast of California. {{Taxonbar, from=Q940115 Bird subfamilies Birds of prey Accipitridae