🦅 Gyrfalcon vs Northern goshawk 🦅
The gyrfalcon and the northern goshawk are about the same size. The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Gyrfalcon | 🦅 Northern goshawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 21 to 22 in53 to 56 cm1 | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk. | 1.8 to 4.6 lb800 g to 2.1 kg1 | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The gyrfalcon lives a bit longer than the northern goshawk. | 14 years14 years1 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares, and other small mammals and birds | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | mostly Arctic tundra, far from the northern forests | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia |
Which one? Gyrfalcon or northern goshawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the gyrfalcon or 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.
10 things to know about Gyrfalcon vs Northern goshawk
- The gyrfalcon: A big falcon that lives on the northern tundra.
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The gyrfalcon and the northern goshawk are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- The gyrfalcon lives a bit longer than the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the northern goshawk.
- Both eat meat. The gyrfalcon eats ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares, and other small mammals and birds; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
- The gyrfalcon lives in mostly Arctic tundra, far from the northern forests. 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 gyrfalcon: 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
🦅 Gyrfalcon
- A gyrfalcon nests on the Arctic tundra.
- Female gyrfalcons are bigger than males.
- Most of its food is ptarmigan, a plump northern bird.
🦅 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 Gyrfalcon and Northern goshawk
Which is bigger, gyrfalcon or northern goshawk?
The gyrfalcon and the northern goshawk are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, gyrfalcon or northern goshawk?
The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the northern goshawk.
Which lives longer, gyrfalcon or northern goshawk?
The gyrfalcon lives a bit longer than the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the northern goshawk.
What do gyrfalcon and northern goshawk eat?
Both eat meat. The gyrfalcon eats ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares, and other small mammals and birds; the northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Where do gyrfalcon and northern goshawk live?
The gyrfalcon lives in mostly Arctic tundra, far from the northern forests. 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, gyrfalcon 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/gyrfalcon-vs-northern-goshawk
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Falco rusticolus (gyrfalcon), 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.