Buteo

Lore & Background

The ferruginous hawk rivals the upland in weight and exceeds it in foot measurements and bill size. All buteos are noted for their broad wings and sturdy builds, frequently soaring on thermals at midday over openings. Their flight style varies: some long-winged species have a floppy, buoyant flight, while shorter-winged species soar more slowly with deeper flaps. Buteos inhabit a wide range of habitats but prefer access to both clearings for hunting and trees for nesting and security.

Reader's Guide

The genus Buteo includes many of the most widely distributed, common, and best-known raptors in the world, such as the red-tailed hawk of North America and the common buzzard of Eurasia. Most Northern Hemisphere species are at least partially migratory, with some like broad-winged hawks and Swainson's hawks forming huge 'kettles' during fall migration, with tens of thousands seen daily. All Buteo species are opportunistic hunters, preying mainly on small mammals, especially rodents, but also birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Carrion is eaten occasionally but is secondary to live prey. Buteos build their own nests in trees, typically laying 2 to 4 eggs, with the female incubating while the male provides food. Some insular species, such as the Socotra buzzard and Galapagos hawk, are considered vulnerable, while Ridgway's hawk is critically endangered, threatened by habitat destruction, prey reductions, and poisoning.

Did You Know?

• Swainson's hawk may rely almost fully on crickets and dragonflies when wintering in southern South America.
• Ridgway's hawk is considered Critically Endangered.

Taxonomy & the Noble Name

For nearly three centuries it sat comfortably within the genus Accipiter, but molecular phylogenetic work revealed that Accipiter was polyphyletic—its members did not all share a single common ancestor exclusive to the group. The Latin name carries a charming historical echo: astur simply means "hawk," while gentilis translates to "noble" or "gentle," a nod to the medieval European custom in which only the aristocracy held the right to fly goshawks in falconry.

Deep Roots & Global Cousins

The genus Astur represents a lineage of agile, forest-dwelling raptors that may have persisted for tens of millions of years, likely evolving as a specialized response to the explosive diversification of small birds that came to dominate the world's forests in more recent geological eras. Within this ancient group, the Eurasian goshawk appears to belong to a superspecies of larger goshawks scattered across the globe. The puzzling gap between their ranges may be explained by other Palearctic raptors—Bonelli's eagles and short-toed eagles—that maintain isolated tropical island populations and were likely part of the same southwest Pacific radiation that produced Meyer's goshawk. An even older radiation of this lineage may have taken root in Africa, giving rise to Madagascar's Henst's goshawk and the mainland black sparrowhawk, the latter superficially resembling a sparrowhawk in its longer, finer legs but matching goshawks in overall size and juvenile plumage.

Range, Behavior & the Goose-Hawk Identity

The Eurasian goshawk is a widespread resident of temperate Eurasia, occupying a vast swath of the continent from the British Isles eastward through Russia and south into parts of North Africa and Asia Minor. In nearly its entire range, with the exception of a small area in southern Asia, it is the sole species of goshawk present, which is why both ornithologists and birders commonly refer to it simply as "the goshawk." While the species is primarily sedentary, individuals breeding in the colder northern reaches undertake a seasonal migration southward for the winter months. The bird's very name carries an old-world flavor: "goshawk" derives from the Old English gōsheafoc, literally "goose-hawk," a reference to its historical role in hunting geese and other medium-sized game birds. The species inhabits the family Accipitridae, a large group of diurnal raptors that also encompasses eagles, buzzards, and harriers, though within that family the goshawk's closest extant relatives among diurnal raptors are the harriers, while buteonines, Old World kites, sea eagles, and chanting-goshawks are considerably more distant.

A Mosaic of Subspecies

Modern taxonomy recognizes seven weakly differentiated subspecies, with much of the variation now understood as clinal trends governed by Bergmann's rule and Gloger's rule. The nominate race, A. g. gentilis, spans most of continental Europe, extends into northwestern Africa, and reaches east to the Urals, the Caucasus, and Asia Minor. The nominate bird is generally dark slaty-brown above with a blackish-brown head, a thin supercilium, and a creamy underside heavily barred with dark markings. A rare isabelline morph, found mainly in central and eastern Europe, presents a general beige coloration. The island race A. g. arrigonii, restricted to Sardinia and Corsica, is noticeably smaller and weaker-footed than its mainland counterparts.