In the area we have four different

The Goshawk, photo taken by Steffon McGregor - (705) 785-3095

species of Accipiters, or True Hawks. They are different from Buzzard Hawks in that they have smaller heads, shorter, rounded wings, and long tails. Buzzard Hawks, on the other hand, have a stockier build and much longer, wider tails. The four different species of Hawks are the Sharp-shinned, the Cooper's, the Northern Goshawk, and the Northern Harrier. In all species the sexes are similar, except for the Northern Harrier, where the male is grey, while the female is mixed brown, black and white. The Goshawk is much larger than the others. You can pick him out by this trait, and his white stripe above his eyes, which no other species have. Northern Harriers have solid, instead of patterned, grey or brown coloring, and a white rump. The last two are not so easy to determine, lets just say that the

The Northern Harrier, photo taken by Gale Trivers

Sharp-shinned looks like a slightly smaller version of the Cooper's Hawk. They both are slim-bodied, slim-tailed, and have short rounded wings. They are also patterned exactly like one another, with grey backs and tail, white markings on the backs of their heads, and identical brown and white patterns on their chests. Virtually the only way to tell them apart is by the Cooper's rounded tail, whereas the Sharp-shinned's has more of a straight cut.

These Hawks can be spotted in broken woodlands, river groves, marshes, fields, and along roadsides. All of them are very beautiful, and seem to share in the enjoyment of resting on fence posts and telephone lines.