American Goshawk Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesAmerican Goshawk
Adult
Large, bulky raptor with a slate gray cap and white eyebrow. The belly is finely barred in gray. Note red eye.
© Robert Post / Macaulay LibraryColorado, January 15, 2021Adult
Adult has dark head, bold white eyebrow, underparts with fine gray barring, and conspicuous white undertail coverts.
© Frank King / Macaulay LibraryNewfoundland and Labrador, June 10, 2020Adult
American Goshawk is vocal and fiercely defensive around the nest.
© Dan J. MacNeal / Macaulay LibraryOntarioJuvenile
Juvenile is brownish overall with a brown crown, streaky belly and speckled back. Note the white eyebrow and yellow eye. Most frequently found in mature forests.
© Daniel Jauvin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, March 17, 2019Juvenile
Juvenile is speckled brown above with narrow banding on the tail. Note pale eyebrow.
© Nicole Watson / Macaulay LibraryOntario, November 28, 2015Immature
An immature goshawk "mantling" over a recently killed jackrabbit. American Goshawks eat a wider range of prey than other accipiters, including birds, mammals, and reptiles.
© Ryan O'Donnell / Macaulay LibraryUtah, November 24, 2018Adult
Adult appears light below when soaring. Note broad wings and long dark tail contrasting with white undertail coverts.
© Anonymous / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, March 18, 2020Juvenile
In flight note long tail and broad, rounded wings. Juvenile is brown and streaky, with narrow dark bands in the tail.
© Jerry Liguori / Macaulay LibraryUtah, September 21, 2007Adult
Flying style is similar to most accipiters with stiff and powerful wingbeats. While soaring, goshawks can resemble buteos, but their long tail separates them from buteos.
© Eric Liner / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, July 02, 2007Adult
Stocky raptor with a barrel chest and a long, rounded tail and broad wings. Adult in flight looks pale below with a dark tail and fluffy white undertail coverts.
© Lev Frid / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, October 30, 2016Similar SpeciesCooper's Hawk
Adult
Adult Cooper’s Hawk has reddish barring on the underparts, unlike the goshawk’s fine gray barring.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, February 11, 2017Similar SpeciesCooper's Hawk
Immature
Immature Cooper's Hawk has whiter underparts than the more buffy underparts of immature American Goshawk. Immature Cooper's Hawk also lacks the goshawk's eyebrow.
© Geoffrey Groom / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, December 21, 2015Similar SpeciesCooper's Hawk
Adult
American Goshawk tends to avoid settled areas, so any accipiter seen around an urban backyard is much more likely to be a Cooper’s Hawk. Adult Cooper's Hawk is rusty below, whereas adult American Goshawk is pale gray below.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, October 10, 2016Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Adult (Northern)
Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk is smaller than American Goshawk. Sharp-shinned Hawk has rusty barred underparts unlike the gray barred underparts of American Goshawk, and it also lacks the goshawk's white eyebrow.
© robert beauchamp / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 29, 2017Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Immature (Northern)
Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk is smaller than immature American Goshawk and has whiter underparts than the goshawk's buffy underparts.
© Sue Barth / Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 14, 2013Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Adult (Northern)
Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk is smaller than American Goshawk with rusty (not gray) underparts.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, January 13, 2017Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Immature (Northern)
In flight, Sharp-shinned Hawk is more delicate than the heavier-bodied American Goshawk. Sharp-shinned Hawk also has narrower wings than American Goshawk.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, September 24, 2014Similar SpeciesBroad-winged Hawk
Adult light morph
Broad-winged Hawk has narrower wings and a shorter tail than American Goshawk.
© David Brown / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, September 20, 2016Similar SpeciesBroad-winged Hawk
Juvenile light morph
Juvenile Broad-winged Hawk is less heavily marked below than juvenile American Goshawk. Broad-winged Hawk also has a shorter tail.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 20, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Adult (lineatus group)
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk has a shorter tail with more obvious bands on it than adult American Goshawk.
© Chris S. Wood / Macaulay LibraryConnecticut, September 25, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile (elegans)
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk is less heavily streaked below than juvenile American Goshawk, with paler flight feathers when seen from below.
© Blake Matheson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 19, 2017Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites(Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae)
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