There are sparrowhawks in Yorkshire. There's probably not much point in setting out to look for a sparrowhawk, but if you're watching small birds on a bird feeder, every once in a while a sparrowhawk might come crashing in to spoil the party.
Sparrowhawks are birds of prey within the family Accipitridae. Their Latin name is Accipiter nisus.
They are small raptors (29-41cm in length), and they feed on small birds.
Collins Bird Guide shows the sparrowhawk present all year round in all of Britain except for the northern tip of Scotland.
They live in most of Europe at Britain's latitude and further south; they breed in much of Scandinavia, but fly south for the Winter.
Sparrowhawks have thin, yellow legs, yellow eyes, and slate grey or grey-blue back and wings. Their breasts are barred. In males the breast is a rufous colour, whereas females (pictured) have brown-grey bars.
Sparrowhawks often fly low over the ground, charging in to make surprise attacks on small birds. Only 10% of their attacks are successful.
Sparrowhawks nest in trees in woodland or parks, 6-12m from the ground. The female lays 4 or 5 eggs, and the young hatch after 33 days. They take their first flights after 24-28 days.
The probability of a juvenile surviving the first year is 34% (Wikipedia). Typical lifespan is four years, and the longest recorded lifespan of a sparrowhawk was twenty years.
