A goshawk will fold its wings back to fly through very tight spaces between branches. Folding the wings back reduces its lift, and the bird makes up for this by fanning out its large tail. The long tail and short, broad wings suit it for flying through thick forest, and it can weave in and out of trees while flying fast.
A goshawk's preferred hunting perches are low, usually under 3 feet (1 meter), in bent-over trees or saplings. From a perch it scans the lower parts of the forest, the ground and the lower canopy. It usually ambushes its prey, and if the prey runs, it quickly pursues. Accipiters often give up a chase after a short distance if the prey is not caught quickly.
Goshawks may avoid areas of very dense forest. A goshawk's large body and wingspan limit its use of young, dense forests, where there is too little space in and below the canopy for flight and hunting. Good goshawk hunting forest has space under the canopy for flight, many tree perches, and prey that can be found.
In Wyoming, a nesting goshawk's home range runs from 570 to 5,300 hectares, depending on local habitat. Goshawks are partly migrants: some travel far in winter, and others move only a short way to lower ground. Each pair of nesting goshawks needs roughly 6,000 acres of forest to feed and raise its young. A goshawk pair often uses the same nest again in later years.
Words to know
- saplings: young trees
- canopy: treetop layer
- hectares: land measure
