sparrowhawk

sparrowhawk
sparrow hawk n.
1. A small hawk (Accipter nisus) of Europe, Africa, and central Asia that has short, broad wings and preys on sparrows and other small birds.
2. A small North American falcon (Falco sparverius) that hovers over fields and pastures, feeding chiefly on insects and mice. Also called American kestrel.

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▪ hawk group
 any of various small birds of prey usually of the genus Accipiter (family Accipitridae), classified with the goshawks as “accipiters,” or true hawks. They eat small birds such as sparrows, small mammals, and insects.

      The African little sparrowhawk (A. minullus), slate gray above with white tail bars, barred white below, inhabits woods of East and South Africa. The Eurasian sparrowhawk (A. nisus), dark gray above and brown barred white below, is a common inhabitant of wooded areas throughout Europe, in coastal northwestern Africa, and in temperate to sub-Arctic forests of Asia. The Levant sparrowhawk, or shikra (A. brevipes), is gray above and brown barred white below. It occurs from southeastern Europe throughout most of continental southern Asia and subequatorial Africa. For the small falcon called sparrow hawk in the United States, see kestrel.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sparrowhawk — or variants may refer to:BirdsSparrowhawk (sometimes Sparrow Hawk) may refer to several species of small hawk in the genus Accipiter . These include:* Chestnut flanked Sparrowhawk, A. castanilius * Collared Sparrowhawk, A. cirrocephalus *… …   Wikipedia

  • sparrowhawk — ► NOUN 1) a small hawk that preys on small birds. 2) N. Amer. the American kestrel …   English terms dictionary

  • sparrowhawk — UK [ˈspærəʊˌhɔːk] / US [ˈsperoʊˌhɔk] noun [countable] Word forms sparrowhawk : singular sparrowhawk plural sparrowhawks a small hawk that kills smaller birds for food …   English dictionary

  • sparrowhawk — /ˈspæroʊhɔk / (say sparohhawk) noun 1. → collared sparrowhawk. 2. → nankeen kestrel. 3. any of certain small hawks of the genus Accipiter which prey on birds, especially the Eurasian sparrowhawk, A. nisus, of Eurasia and Africa, used in falconry …  

  • Sparrowhawk — This interesting and unusual surname, derives from the Old English name Spearh(e)afoc , which means literally Sparrow hawk , and as such was found as a personal name before the Norman Conquest of 1066. In its later development as a surname it had …   Surnames reference

  • sparrowhawk — noun A variant spelling of sparrow hawk …   Wiktionary

  • sparrowhawk — spar|row|hawk [ sperou,hɔk ] noun count a small HAWK that kills smaller birds for food …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sparrowhawk — n. small hawk that preys small birds; North American kestrel …   English contemporary dictionary

  • sparrowhawk — noun a small Old World hawk that preys on small birds. [Accipiter nisus and related species.] ↘N. Amer. the American kestrel …   English new terms dictionary

  • sparrowhawk — n. a small hawk, Accipiter nisus, preying on small birds …   Useful english dictionary

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