🦅 Northern goshawk vs Red-tailed hawk 🦅
The northern goshawk and the red-tailed hawk are about the same size. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Northern goshawk | 🦅 Red-tailed hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm1 | 19 to 26 in48 to 65 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight They are about the same. | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg1 | 1.8 to 2.7 lb800 g to 1.2 kg2 |
| Lives The red-tailed hawk usually lives about twice as long as the northern goshawk. | 11 years11 years1 | 22 years22 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects | mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia | open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America |
Which one? Northern goshawk or red-tailed hawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the northern goshawk or the red-tailed hawk 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 Northern goshawk vs Red-tailed hawk
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- The red-tailed hawk: A common hawk that watches for small animals from high perches.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The northern goshawk and the red-tailed hawk are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
- The red-tailed hawk usually lives about twice as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
- Both eat meat. The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects; the red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds.
- The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. The red-tailed hawk lives in open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The northern goshawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The red-tailed hawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦅 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.
🦅 Red-tailed hawk
- A red-tailed hawk watches for food from a high perch.
- Most of its food is small rodents.
- It lives in parks and farm fields as well as grassland.
Questions kids ask about Northern goshawk and Red-tailed hawk
Which is bigger, northern goshawk or red-tailed hawk?
The northern goshawk and the red-tailed hawk are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, northern goshawk or red-tailed hawk?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
Which lives longer, northern goshawk or red-tailed hawk?
The red-tailed hawk usually lives about twice as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
What do northern goshawk and red-tailed hawk eat?
Both eat meat. The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects; the red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds.
Where do northern goshawk and red-tailed hawk live?
The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. The red-tailed hawk lives in open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do northern goshawks eat red-tailed hawks?
The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Red-tailed hawks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do red-tailed hawks eat northern goshawks?
The red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds. Northern goshawks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, northern goshawk or red-tailed hawk?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. 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/northern-goshawk-vs-red-tailed-hawk
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Accipiter gentilis (northern goshawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Buteo jamaicensis (red-tailed hawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.