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Birds and Butterflies of Rhodes
RODOPTERA
Accipiter nisus
Eurasian sparrowhawk (female). Greek: ξεφτέρι (θηλικό). Apolakia, October 2022.
Resident, widespread in small numbers. Length 28-38 cm, wingspan 60-75 cm, female significantly larger than male. Male blue-grey above, white with fine reddish bars below, female greyish-brown above, white with brown bars below. Distinctive long tail and yellow eye. Broad round-ended wings. Diverse habitats with trees. Hunts by surprise attack from foliage cover primarily in clearings and on forest edges, often chases prey on ground. Takes mostly birds, also small mammals. Nests in forests. Characteristic flap-flap-flap-glide cruising flight. Used in falconry for centuries, prized for courage, but difficult to tame and train; today trapped in Georgia and Tunisia, where hundreds of falconers use it mostly in quail hunting.
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