Common Cuckoo vs Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Cuculus canorus compared with Accipiter nisus

Key Differences

• Common Cuckoo is Near Threatened while Eurasian Sparrowhawk is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Cuckoo	Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cuculiformes (Cuculiformes)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family	Cuculidae	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Cuculus	Accipiter
Species	Cuculus canorus	Accipiter nisus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Cuckoo and Eurasian Sparrowhawk share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Common Cuckoo

NT — Near Threatened

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Cuckoo	Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Cuckoo

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

Common Cuckoo

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden