Northern Goshawk

The Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, is listed by the United States Fish and Wildlfe Service as a sensitive species and is federally protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 Amendment of 1972 that protects native birds of prey. 

The Northern Goshawk inhabits temperate climates of the northern hemisphere across North America and Europe.  Although mainly a resident bird, those living in colder climate may migrate south during winter. 

The major international threat facing these magnificent birds is habitat loss by the clearing of their forest habitat.  An example of this threat is the human interference in nesting habitat in the boreal forests of Alberta, Canada, where the bird has a senisitve classification. 

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Photos from top:  1) Adult Northern Goshawk, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike  2) Juvenile (left) and adult (right) Northern Goshawk, public domain drawing by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes