🦅 Northern goshawk vs Secretarybird 🦅
The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the northern goshawk. The secretarybird weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Northern goshawk | 🦅 Secretarybird |
|---|---|---|
| Size The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the northern goshawk. | 22 to 24 in55 to 61 cm1 | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The secretarybird weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk. | 1.4 to 3 lb630 g to 1.4 kg1 | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg2 |
| Lives The secretarybird usually lives about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. | 11 years11 years1 | 19 years19 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | birds, mammals, reptiles and insects | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara |
Which one? Northern goshawk or secretarybird
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the northern goshawk or the secretarybird 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 Secretarybird
- The northern goshawk: A forest hawk with a long tail and broad wings.
- The secretarybird: A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the northern goshawk: 2 against 1.
- The secretarybird weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the secretarybird.
- The secretarybird usually lives about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the secretarybird.
- Both eat meat. The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
- The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The northern goshawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The secretarybird: in danger (Endangered 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.
🦅 Secretarybird
- A secretarybird walks a long way on foot each day.
- It has very long legs for a bird of prey.
- It can fly well, too.
Questions kids ask about Northern goshawk and Secretarybird
Which is bigger, northern goshawk or secretarybird?
The secretarybird is about twice as tall as the northern goshawk: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, northern goshawk or secretarybird?
The secretarybird weighs about 3 times as much as the northern goshawk. That is 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the secretarybird.
Which lives longer, northern goshawk or secretarybird?
The secretarybird usually lives about one and a half times as long as the northern goshawk. Usual lifespans: 1 for the northern goshawk and 2 for the secretarybird.
What do northern goshawk and secretarybird eat?
Both eat meat. The northern goshawk eats birds, mammals, reptiles and insects; the secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes.
Where do northern goshawk and secretarybird live?
The northern goshawk lives in mountain and lowland forests across North America and Eurasia. The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, northern goshawk or secretarybird?
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/northern-goshawk-vs-secretarybird
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: Sagittarius serpentarius (secretarybird), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.