Accipiter

The genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large procoracoid foramen and are also distinct as regards DNA sequence. They may warrant separation in the old genus Hieraspiza.

These birds are slender with short broad rounded wings and a long tail which helps them manoeuvre in flight. They have long legs and long sharp talons used to kill their prey, and a sharp hooked bill used in feeding. Females tend to be larger than males. They often ambush their prey, mainly small birds and mammals, capturing it after a short chase. The typical flight pattern is a series of flaps followed by a short glide. They are commonly found in wooded or shrubby areas.

Species in taxonomic order

 * Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis
 * Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus
 * Grey-bellied Goshawk, Accipiter poliogaster
 * Crested Goshawk, Accipiter trivirgatus
 * Sulawesi Goshawk, Accipiter griseiceps
 * Red-chested Goshawk, Accipiter toussenelii
 * African Goshawk, Accipiter tachiro
 * Chinese Goshawk, Accipiter soloensis
 * Frances's Sparrowhawk, Accipiter francesiae
 * Anjouan Island Sparrowhawk, Accipiter francesiae pusillus
 * Spot-tailed Goshawk, Accipiter trinotatus
 * Grey Goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae
 * Brown Goshawk, Accipiter fasciatus
 * Christmas Island Goshawk, Accipiter (fasciatus) natalis
 * Black-mantled Goshawk, Accipiter melanochlamys
 * Pied Goshawk, Accipiter albogularis
 * Fiji Goshawk, Accipiter rufitorques
 * White-bellied Goshawk, Accipiter haplochrous
 * Moluccan Goshawk, Accipiter henicogrammus
 * Grey-headed Goshawk, Accipiter poliocephalus
 * New Britain Goshawk, Accipiter princeps
 * Black Goshawk, Accipiter melanoleucus
 * Henst's Goshawk, Accipiter henstii
 * Meyer's Goshawk, Accipiter meyerianus
 * Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk, Accipiter castanilius
 * Nicobar Sparrowhawk, Accipiter butleri
 * Levant Sparrowhawk, Accipiter brevipes
 * Slaty-mantled Sparrowhawk, Accipiter luteoschistaceus
 * Imitator Sparrowhawk, Accipiter imitator
 * Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Accipiter erythropus
 * Little Sparrowhawk, Accipiter minullus
 * Japanese Sparrowhawk, Accipiter gularis
 * Small Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nanus
 * Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk, Accipiter erythrauchen
 * Collared Sparrowhawk, Accipiter cirrocephalus
 * New Britain Sparrowhawk, Accipiter brachyurus
 * Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Accipiter rhodogaster
 * Madagascar Sparrowhawk, Accipiter madagascariensis
 * Ovampo Sparrowhawk, Accipiter ovampensis
 * Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk, Accipiter rufiventris
 * Shikra, Accipiter badius
 * Tiny Hawk, Accipiter superciliosus – may belong in Hieraspiza
 * Semicollared Hawk, Accipiter collaris – may belong in Hieraspiza
 * Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus
 * White-breasted Hawk, Accipiter chionogaster
 * Plain-breasted Hawk, Accipiter ventralis
 * Rufous-thighed Hawk, Accipiter erythronemius
 * Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperii
 * Gundlach's Hawk, Accipiter gundlachi
 * Bicoloured Hawk, Accipiter bicolor
 * Chilean Hawk, Accipiter (bicolor) chilensis
 * Besra, Accipiter virgatus

An Accipiter was seen on 12 March 1994 south of the summit of Camiguin in the Philippines, where the genus was not known to occur. It may have been an undescribed taxon, but more likely it was not; it could simply have been a vagrant of a known species.