The northern goshawk is a large hawk. It lives in the forests of North America and Eurasia.

A goshawk is about 55 to 61 centimeters (22 to 24 inches) long. Its wings stretch about 1 to 1.2 meters (3 to 4 feet) from tip to tip. A female is a little bigger than a male.

An adult goshawk has red eyes and yellow feet. A white stripe over each eye looks like an eyebrow. Young goshawks have yellow eyes, and the eyes turn red as they become adults.

An adult has a gray back. A young goshawk is brown.

Goshawks belong to a group of hawks called accipiters. Accipiters have short, rounded wings and long tails. A goshawk uses its long tail to steer among the trees.

A goshawk can weave in and out of trees while flying fast. It flies with a few flaps and then a glide.

A goshawk builds a nest of sticks high in a tree. A pair often uses the same nest again in later years. The female lays about two to four eggs. They hatch about one month after they are laid.

Goshawk parents feed their young until the young are about 70 days old.

A goshawk perches in a tree and waits and looks for prey. It eats birds and small animals such as squirrels, rabbits and hares. Goshawks are hard to see in the woods.

Words to know

• accipiters: forest hawk group
• perches: sits and waits
• prey: food animal
• weave: twist in, out