IDENTIFICATION TIPS on NORTHERN GOSHAWK and EURASIAN, CHINESE & JAPANESE SPARROWHAWKS in JAPAN
In 1998, Fer-Jan de Vries briefly reviewed a new book by Teruaki Morioka: Birds of Prey in Japan, 2nd edition. Teruaki Morioka. 1998. Published by Bun-ichi Sogo Shuppan Co. Ltd, Bun-ichi Sogo Shuppan Co. Ltd. (ISBN 4-8299-2125-0) 18,000 yen.
This thorough book, written in Japanese, has English summaries of the text of each bird chapter. Here Fer-Jan cites the ID tips Morioka gives for flying adult birds:
1. One point is the number of individual primary tips visible at the wingtips:
Northern Goshawk 6
Eurasian Sparrowhawk 6
Japanese Sparrowhawk 5
Chinese Sparrowhawk 4
2. Northern Goshawk: Wings and tail appear long, with head thrust forward. Tail is rounded or may show very slight wedge shape.
3. Eurasian Sparrowhawk: Tail appears long in proportion to wings. [On photos: wing is shorter than 2x tail]. Dark bars on underwing flight feathers show a wider interval than those of goshawk and other sparrowhawks, while in contrast, the lateral bars on the underwing coverts appear denser.
4. Japanese Sparrowhawk: Wings appear long in proportion to total length. [On photos: wing is longer than 2x tail]. 4-8 narrow lateral bands visible on flight feathers. Numerous narrow wavy markings appear on underwing coverts. Black band on central tail feathers.
5. Chinese Sparrowhhawk: Wings appear long and narrow, with sharply pointed tips. In adult, wingtips are black, underwing coverts are pale rufous, and the rest of the flight feathers are without markings or with only very fine bars on some or all feathers. No black band on tail.
Nial Moores (as cited by Desmond Allen) added this note:
The Eurasian, Japanese and Chinese Sparrowhawks can be distinguished by their flight pattern. Being much bigger birds, Eurasian Sparrowhawks have deeper wingbeats when migrating, while the other two are very shallow flappers.
Since that time, these points have been confirmed and refined in many publications, including several editions of Birder magazine and the useful little 'Flying Raptors ID Handbook' (Norio Yamagata, 978-4-8299-1015-3 ISBN, 1,512 yen). Both are available from the publishers, Bun-ichi Co., Ltd. The following plate is taken from Yamagata's handbook:
In 1998, Fer-Jan de Vries briefly reviewed a new book by Teruaki Morioka: Birds of Prey in Japan, 2nd edition. Teruaki Morioka. 1998. Published by Bun-ichi Sogo Shuppan Co. Ltd, Bun-ichi Sogo Shuppan Co. Ltd. (ISBN 4-8299-2125-0) 18,000 yen.
This thorough book, written in Japanese, has English summaries of the text of each bird chapter. Here Fer-Jan cites the ID tips Morioka gives for flying adult birds:
1. One point is the number of individual primary tips visible at the wingtips:
Northern Goshawk 6
Eurasian Sparrowhawk 6
Japanese Sparrowhawk 5
Chinese Sparrowhawk 4
2. Northern Goshawk: Wings and tail appear long, with head thrust forward. Tail is rounded or may show very slight wedge shape.
3. Eurasian Sparrowhawk: Tail appears long in proportion to wings. [On photos: wing is shorter than 2x tail]. Dark bars on underwing flight feathers show a wider interval than those of goshawk and other sparrowhawks, while in contrast, the lateral bars on the underwing coverts appear denser.
4. Japanese Sparrowhawk: Wings appear long in proportion to total length. [On photos: wing is longer than 2x tail]. 4-8 narrow lateral bands visible on flight feathers. Numerous narrow wavy markings appear on underwing coverts. Black band on central tail feathers.
5. Chinese Sparrowhhawk: Wings appear long and narrow, with sharply pointed tips. In adult, wingtips are black, underwing coverts are pale rufous, and the rest of the flight feathers are without markings or with only very fine bars on some or all feathers. No black band on tail.
Nial Moores (as cited by Desmond Allen) added this note:
The Eurasian, Japanese and Chinese Sparrowhawks can be distinguished by their flight pattern. Being much bigger birds, Eurasian Sparrowhawks have deeper wingbeats when migrating, while the other two are very shallow flappers.
Since that time, these points have been confirmed and refined in many publications, including several editions of Birder magazine and the useful little 'Flying Raptors ID Handbook' (Norio Yamagata, 978-4-8299-1015-3 ISBN, 1,512 yen). Both are available from the publishers, Bun-ichi Co., Ltd. The following plate is taken from Yamagata's handbook: