The northern goshawk is the largest accipiter, and it is about as big as a red-tailed hawk. Its wings are short and broad and its tail is long. Female goshawks have wingspans of about 105 to 115 cm, and males about 98 to 104 cm. A goshawk's wingbeats are deeper and slower than a sparrowhawk's. Its long tail and short wings suit it for flying through thick forest, and its short wings let it speed up quickly.

A goshawk can weave in and out of trees while flying fast, and it uses its long tail to steer among the trees. It perches for a short time, watches for prey, then moves to a new perch. Prey is an animal that a hunter eats. A goshawk eats birds and small animals such as squirrels, rabbits and hares, and it also hunts along forest edges and across open spots.

During nesting, a goshawk's home range is about 570 to 3,500 hectares (1,400 to 8,600 acres). A home range is the area where an animal lives and finds food. A goshawk builds a nest of sticks high in a tree. A goshawk lays about two to four eggs, and they hatch about one month after they are laid. Goshawk parents feed their young until the young are about 70 days old.

As of November 2026, the IUCN Red List lists the northern goshawk as Least Concern, and cutting down mature forest, where goshawks nest and hunt, is a major threat to goshawks. Goshawks have been used in falconry for centuries. Falconry is the sport of hunting with a trained bird. A wild goshawk is believed to live at least 11 years. A goshawk pair may keep several nests and use different ones in different years.

Words to know

• accipiter: forest hawk
• falconry: hunting with birds
• hectares: land measure