| Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus - Family: Falconidae/ Acciptridae
 Sparrowhawk with prey© Nick WattsThe sparrowhawk is a medium-sized and very agile bird of prey that feeds on a range of small birds. It is a regular visitor to gardens with trees and shrubs, including those in suburban and, increasingly, urban areas. The male has grey-blue upperparts and a pale lower body with rust-coloured bars on the breast and belly. The female is much larger,weighing almost twice as much as the male, and is dark brown above, with dark barring on the breast. Females and males therefore tend to take different sized prey. Sparrowhawks hunt by flying fast and low, often taking their prey by surprise. They are tenacious in the pursuit of birds and may even follow a bird into dense cover in an attempt to catch it. The breeding season is timed so that there is a ready supply of young songbirds on which to feed their own young. The sparrowhawk's predation of songbirds makes it unpopular with some but the fear that it will result in population declines stems is quite unjustified. Ultimately, it is the availability of suitable habitat and food supply that controls the numbers of songbirds, not predators. All small birds produce more young than can survive: birds of prey merely take what amounts to the surplus population. Sparrowhawk populations suffered catastrophic declines in the 1960s as a result of persistent pesticides such as DDT. These were eventually banned when scientists proved a link between their use as seed dressings and a collapse in the numbers of sparrowhawks and peregrine falcons. Following the ban, the population recovered and numbers are now as high as ever: a triumph for nature conservation in action. Nests are made high up in tall trees, often using the foundations of disused nests of other species such as crows. FoodMainly small songbirds, sometimes taken from bird tables or feeding stations. The larger female will kill birds up to the size of a woodpigeon. Small mammals may also be taken occasionally, including young rabbits and even bats. PreyBank vole, Bats, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue tit, Brambling, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Collared dove, Common shrew, Dunnock, Feral pigeon, Fieldfare, Garden warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Greenfinch, Grey squirrel, House sparrow, Jay, Linnet, Long-tailed tit, Marsh tit, willow tit, Meadow pipit, Mistle thrush, Nuthatch, Pied flycatcher, Pied wagtail, Pipistrelle bat, Rabbit, Redpoll, Redstart, Redwing, Reed bunting, Robin, Siskin, Song thrush, Spotted flycatcher, Starling, Stock dove, Tree sparrow, Turtle dove, Waxwing, Weasel, Whitethroat, Willow warbler, Wood mouse, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer |
