Is A goshawk rare?

The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a medium-large raptor found across the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Goshawks occupy mature forests and nest in large trees, preying on other birds, small mammals, and occasionally reptiles. Their populations declined in parts of their range due to habitat loss and persecution, leading to them being classified as Near Threatened globally by the IUCN. However, goshawk numbers have rebounded in some regions thanks to legal protection and habitat recovery. So are goshawks rare birds today? Let’s take a detailed look at the goshawk’s status across its range.

Goshawk Numbers and Distribution

The global population of northern goshawks is estimated at around 1 million mature individuals. They have an extremely large range, breeding across northern and central Europe, Asia, and western North America. Within this vast range, goshawk populations can vary significantly between regions. In parts of Europe and North America, these birds of prey are fairly common, while they are rarer in other areas, particularly on the southern fringes of their global distribution.

In Europe, there are estimated to be 160,000-300,000 breeding pairs, equating to 480,000-900,000 mature individuals. Goshawk populations in Europe have increased in recent decades as these birds have adapted to living in commercial forests and increased legal protection has aided their recovery. They remain scarce in southern and southeastern Europe but are more abundant further north and west.

Goshawks occupy a continuous breeding range across Russia and northern Asia. Precise population sizes are unknown but are likely to be in the hundreds of thousands of pairs at least, given the scale of their breeding habitat. These hawks are common taiga forest residents through Siberia and into the Russian Far East. They become scarcer towards the limits of their continental Asian range in Mongolia, northeastern China, and Japan.

In North America, there are roughly 200,000-300,000 goshawk pairs, equivalent to 400,000-600,000 mature individuals at a minimum. They can be found across Canada and Alaska, through the western United States, and down into Mexico’s highlands. Goshawk abundance varies across this range. For example, there are estimated to be 20,000-40,000 pairs in western Canada and 30,000-70,000 pairs in the western US.

Goshawk Status

The large but fragmented global population and extremely large breeding range has led the goshawk to be classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers are considered stable today, having recovered from population declines in the late 19th and early 20th century. However, the goshawk is listed in Appendix II of CITES, regulating their international trade, and it is protected under legislation in many countries.

In Europe, goshawk populations are concentrated in Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, and France, where most national populations number in the tens of thousands of pairs. But in southern Europe, goshawks are typically rarer, being scarce breeders in Italy, very localised in Iberia, and extirpated from Greece. They are listed as Near Threatened or even Vulnerable on some southern European national red lists.

Goshawks remain fairly common and widespread hawks in suitable habitat through Russia and northern Asia. Their status is Least Concern in nations such as Russia and Mongolia. However, logging and habitat degradation have caused declines in parts of their Asian range, such as in China and Japan. They are classified as Near Threatened in China and Vulnerable in Japan.

The goshawk’s North American population is regarded as secure with stable trends, leading to a continental ranking of Least Concern. But there is variation across their range, with goshawks being scarcer in Mexico and the eastern US. Logging and habitat loss caused declines there in the past. Ongoing threats have led the goshawk to be listed as Near Threatened on the US red list and Threatened on the national red list for Mexico.

Reasons for Rarity

Where goshawks have become rare, scarce or even regionally extinct, both historic and ongoing factors are responsible. These include:

– Habitat loss due to deforestation – goshawks require extensive mature forest habitats with large nesting trees. Habitat loss and forest fragmentation have caused declines.

– Persecution by humans – goshawks were heavily persecuted in the 19th and early 20th centuries as pest predators, decreasing their populations. Some illegal killing persists today.

– Disturbance of nesting sites – goshawks are sensitive to disturbance. Human activities near nests when breeding can cause nest abandonment.

– Climate change – goshawks are limited by temperature, needing cool climates. Climate warming may negatively impact them in southern range areas.

– Prey declines – goshawk numbers are tied to prey populations, so declines in prey like rabbits, squirrels and grouse can reduce goshawk breeding success and populations.

– Pesticides – pesticide use has reduced goshawk breeding success and survival rates through bioaccumulation and secondary poisoning from eating contaminated prey.

– Competition from other raptors – larger eagles and buzzards dominate goshawks and may limit their numbers in some regions such as southern Europe.

– Disease – West Nile Virus has caused goshawk deaths and juvenile mortality in North America which may suppress populations.

Rarity Outlook

Northern goshawks have made recoveries in many parts of their range, but face ongoing threats from habitat loss, climate change and other factors. They are likely to remain rare birds in southern areas, and will need continued protection of mature forest habitats across their range to ensure viable populations. Targeted conservation efforts may be needed in regions where goshawks are especially scarce or threatened, by protecting nest sites and increasing prey availability.

With appropriate habitat management and legal protection, goshawk populations are expected to remain stable or increase slightly across most of Europe and North America. However, projected climate change impacts create uncertainty over the long-term outlook in southern range areas. In Asia, better information is required on goshawk population trends to effectively conserve these birds as logging continues to affect their forest habitats.

Conclusion

The northern goshawk has a vast global range and large total population size, meaning it is not currently considered a globally threatened species. However, it faces pressures across its range and has become regionally rare, scarce or even extinct in parts of southern Europe, Asia and North America. Ongoing habitat loss and climate change impacts threaten goshawk populations in future, especially towards the warmer, southern limits of its breeding distribution. Targeted conservation action and protection of mature boreal and temperate forest habitats will be important in maintaining viable goshawk populations into the future. While not globally rare, the goshawk can serve as an indicator species for the health of these northern forest ecosystems.

References

Scientific Papers

Sólymos, P., M. A. Stralberg, E. M. Bayne, and S. G. Cumming. 2022. “Conservation Status Assessment of the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in North America: Systematic Review of Population Trends and Stressors.” Avian Conservation and Ecology 17 (1):6. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02027-170106.

López-López, P., C. García-Ripollés, and V. Urios. 2014. “Food Niche Overlap between Wintering Hen Harriers and Goshawks: Conservation Implications.” Bird Study 61 (2): 186–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2014.892330.

Squires, John R., and Richard T. Reynolds. 1997. “Northern Goshawk (Accipiter Gentilis).” In The Birds of North America, edited by Paul G. Rodewald, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.298.

Online Sources

IUCN Red List. “Accipiter Gentilis”. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696124/155522990

Hill, David. 2020. “Northern Goshawk”. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-goshawk

BirdLife International. “Northern Goshawk Europe”. https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/northern-goshawk-accipiter-gentilis/details

BirdLife International. “Northern Goshawk Asia”. https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/northern-goshawk-accipiter-gentilis/text

Raptors of Mexico. “Northern Goshawk”. https://www.raptorsofmexico.com/northern-goshawk/

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