🐍 Black mamba vs Northern goshawk 🦅
The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Black mamba | 🦅 Northern goshawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the northern goshawk. | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the northern goshawk yet. | 12 mph20 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the black mamba yet. | no checked number yet | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives They are about the same. | 11 years11 years1 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia |
Which one? Black mamba or northern goshawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the northern goshawk yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
9 things to know about Black mamba vs Northern goshawk
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the northern goshawk is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the northern goshawk: 1 against 2.
- They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
- The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The black mamba: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The northern goshawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐍 Black mamba
- A black mamba can move quickly across the ground.
- It hides among rocks and fallen trees.
- It eats mostly small mammals.
🦅 Northern goshawk
- A northern goshawk lives in forests in North America and Eurasia.
- Some move to warmer places in winter.
- Females are a little bigger than males.
Questions kids ask about Black mamba and Northern goshawk
Which is bigger, black mamba or northern goshawk?
The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the northern goshawk: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black mamba or northern goshawk?
We only have a checked weight for the northern goshawk: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, black mamba or northern goshawk?
They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the northern goshawk.
What do black mamba and northern goshawk eat?
Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Where do black mamba and northern goshawk live?
The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black mamba or northern goshawk?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/black-mamba-vs-northern-goshawk
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Dendroaspis polylepis (black mamba), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Accipiter gentilis (northern goshawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.