Male or female Sparrowhawk? UK. (1 Viewer)

[Joe.S]

Taken on edge of dark.

 

[mark clements]

from lack of orange, I'd say female, and lack of brown back I;d say adult, but dark picture makes it harder, and I have been wrong before

 

[jackowacko]

Adult male for me, hint of orange on chest, lack of supercillium and seemingly smaller size.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Male for me too


A

 

[mark clements]

Adult male for me, hint of orange on chest, lack of supercillium and seemingly smaller size.

Now I am on the computer rather than the small tablet, I can see that, other than size.

 

[P.Sunesen]

An adult female, both by its proportions of the bill to the rest of the head, as well as by the fact that such a dark coloured prey doesn't seem to exist in a size, which would fit the much smaller male size wise.

To me the prey smells like a corvid, a Jackdaw?

The common misconception that adult females are not "allowed" to have even as slight a suggestion of rusty colouration as seen here, must be particularly diehard.....

As a taxidermist (specialising in birds) I have handled up to twenty Sparrowhawks annually in the course of almost four decades, and I can attest to the fact that the rusty wash on the ventral side may indeed be considerably more striking than on this poorly lit bird.

Here's an example

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/birds_user_uploads/33206_UU_21797_Spurvehoeg_21.jpg

And here same bird in a less erotic pose

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/birds_user_uploads/32639_UU_21063_Red4.jpg

And here another (very red) female: note the yellow not orange iris, and the shaft streaks on the breast (a detail I don't recall having ever seen in adult males, at least not as well-marked)

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/birds_user_uploads/43985_UU_34541__BSC3940.jpg

And here a different individual

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/bird...U_35540_Spurvehoeg_Helsinge_1102_IMG_6261.jpg

And yet another one

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/birds_user_uploads/50815_UU_43004_20121008_1794.jpg

The fact that most adult males have LESS of a super than MOST adult females, is merely a general guideline
As the above photos neatly show, females may indeed sport an almost supercilium-less "hood"

PS here's finally the same female as the copulating and twig carrying one in the first two links.
The ensuing discussion below the photo addresses most of the myths concerning sex differences in this common species. Unfortunately in Danish, so mostly relevant for a few Scandinavian readers. A Google-translate to English is bound to provoke laughter (and surrealistic bewilderment), but if anyone is interested, I'll be happy to translate the debate sometime during next week.

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=33768&language=dk

Peter

 

[ChrisKten]

Seeing as there's contrary views in this thread:

I see nothing that suggests a male, but I'd want to know what the prey was to commit to female.

Only certainty, assuming the picture was taken this year, is it's a 3cy+ adult Sparrowhawk. If the prey is a Corvid, then the Sparrowhawk is certainly not a male.

So I pretty much agree with, Peter.

 

[Simon Wates]

Great post from Peter - this is the kind of thing that makes Birdforum a very good read indeed :t:

 

[mark clements]

Peter, the clarity and depth of your reply is just brilliant.
I have always (now proven wrong) held the 'if there's rust, even a hint' its a male, wiew, as this is what I was taught by my uncle 55 years ago, and he was a gamekeeper.
From my first post, I was erring to female, but then the rusty hint, and I capitulated.
Thank you for a great lesson, well presented.
Harry

 

[MacNara]

Appears to be a Black Mass. Who knew birds were so (anti-)religious?

 

[Nutcracker]

I have always (now proven wrong) held the 'if there's rust, even a hint' its a male, wiew, as this is what I was taught by my uncle 55 years ago, and he was a gamekeeper.

And I suspect there lies the problem - in UK, female Sparrowhawks never lived long enough to attain orange tones, they were always shot by gamekeepers before that. Now it seems a few are managing to survive long enough.

 

[mark clements]

And I suspect there lies the problem - in UK, female Sparrowhawks never lived long enough to attain orange tones, they were always shot by gamekeepers before that. Now it seems a few are managing to survive long enough.

ouch but unfortunately true. But he taught me loads

 

[Joe.S]

Sorry for the delay in replying.

The prey item is a Jackdaw.

I couldn't figure out why the Jackdaws were making so much noise until I stumbled on the Sparrowhawk and Jackdaw behind a wall. Both were covered in mud, and I reckoned the Sparrowhawk was making a mess of killing the jackdaw which made me think it was a male because I reckoned a female Sparrowhawk would be more efficient.

Incidentally, the Sparrowhawk flushed when I stumbled across it and the Jackdaw got away.

I've seen a male Sparrowhawk try and kill a Red Legged Partridge before so the physical size of a Jackdaw didn't seem out of the question.

The photo of the Jackdaw on the floor isn't reliable too gauge for scale.

 

[Nutcracker]

I've seen a male Sparrowhawk try and kill a Red Legged Partridge before so the physical size of a Jackdaw didn't seem out of the question.

Red-legged Partridges, being raised in farm sheds not by parents, don't have any survival training. Jackdaws do. So not really a valid comparison :eat:

 

[P.Sunesen]

Red-legged Partridges, being raised in farm sheds not by parents, don't have any survival training. Jackdaws do. So not really a valid comparison :eat:

Agree, I would add that that for 130 gr light-weight male Sparrowhawk to kill a Red-legged Partridge at 4 times that weight does seem to imply either:

1. You saw a female Sparrowhawk...or

2. The partridge in question was on it's last red legs



Peter

 

[Joe.S]

Agree, I would add that that for 130 gr light-weight male Sparrowhawk to kill a Red-legged Partridge at 4 times that weight does seem to imply either:

1. You saw a female Sparrowhawk...or

2. The partridge in question was on it's last red legs



Peter

I didn't say it killed it. I said it tried to kill it: the partridge ran around with the Sparrowhawk on its back. Until I realised what the commotion was and shooed the Sparrowhawk away.

Thanks for the id of female Sparrowhawk above, Peter.