Goshawk

A goshawk is a bird of prey. He refers to the family of real hawks, and is so named for his "predilection" to choose black grouse as his prey, although he does not disdain other birds: ducks, hazel grouses, thrushes, pigeons. And domestic chickens are not immune from the possibility of dying in the clawed paws of a bird of prey. Also, the winged hunter will not miss the opportunity to grab a rabbit or squirrel and other small rodents. Villagers say that there are cases when a hawk drags small lambs and kids, left unattended. And once the hawk took away a small puppy!

There are these feathered predators both in North America, and in Asia, and Europe. This bird is the largest of its family. This kind of hawks is perfectly accustomed to any conditions of life, perfectly adapts to captivity. Therefore, it can often be seen in menageries and zoos. And many hunters tame hawks, acquiring the individual even in the "tender" chick age, making him a real manual assistant - a hunter for black grouses and rabbits.

The goshawk, like all other hawks, has characteristic white strips of feathers above the eyes - this creates the effect of white eyebrows. For the color of the eyes of matured adults, red-brown is characteristic, and for young animals - bright yellow.

Color in males and females can vary considerably, ranging from purely black to grayish-bluish. The sizes of males and females also differ - females are larger. The length of their body reaches 60 cm, weight -2 kg, and the wings are so huge that their range can be 110 centimeters.

A goshawk prefers a settled existence. Throughout his life he keeps closer to one territory and the couple forms one for life. Although the hawks that inhabit the north, for the winter can fly away to warmer lands.

They have immaculately developed musculature, paws "equipped" with powerful claws. The wings of the hawk-goshawk are short, but its tail is quite long. Thanks to this, the feathered man can easily maneuver in the air during the flight, doing incredible tricks to capture his victim as accurately as possible. He can sit long enough on a branch or in the crown of a tree, waiting for prey, but at the right moment he suddenly rushes, thereby discouraging the poor animal. The goshawk is an aggressive bird, possessing an excellent ability to hunt.

Hawks in their nature - single, each bird has its own territory. Nests goshawk-grouse are built in the spring, in early March. As a rule, the nests are located at a level of 5 to 18 meters from the ground, so that nobody could interfere with the incubation of future offspring. The building material is almost typical for other birds: dried branches, grass and moss, thick branches, tree bark and needles. The diameter of the nest is 60-70 cm.

Hawk - the bird is very practical. Since the couple stay together for a long time, "until death does not separate them," the "spouses" are not concerned with the annual construction: they can lay eggs in the same nest for several years. If necessary, in order to avoid its complete destruction, repair of the nest, of course, will not keep you waiting. However, the bird hawk still prefers to patch up the old one better than starting to build a new house from scratch.

Deferred eggs have an incubation period of about 38 days, their number varies from 2 to 4. As long as the female sits on eggs, the hawk extracts food and brings it to her lover. There are also such cases, that the female flies for prey, then the scrupulous father must guard the offspring.

A pair of hawks diligently protects their territory, especially if they expect the withdrawal of nestlings or already have babies in the nest. To the slightest potential danger, birds react instantly: they dive from above to the offender, pecking at the head and eyes and beating with sharp claws.

Little chicks of a goshawk hatch usually hatch in June. Mom does not fly out of the nest for 3 weeks, keeping a close eye on the babies. The male hawk brings the carcasses of the mined animals entirely, and the female, tearing off small pieces, feeds the hungry little hawks.

The first feathers are replaced by fluff in the chicks appear by the end of 2 weeks. But even when this process is over, young individuals still differ from adults. The upper plumage of them becomes brown, slightly with a mottled reddish, and the bottom is a yellowish-red, ocher-colored. The eyes of the teenagers are bright yellow.

Hawk-goshawk are good parents: they protect chicks from other predators, they bring up, they feed, and most importantly - they teach to hunt. At the age of one month, the grown-up chicks leave the nests, moving to branches, and under the supervision of adults learn to fly and hunt.