Eurasian Sparrowhawk vs Gyrfalcon

Accipiter nisus compared with Falco rusticolus

Key Differences

• Eurasian Sparrowhawk is Least Concern while Gyrfalcon is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Gyrfalcon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Falconidae
Genus	Accipiter	Falco
Species	Accipiter nisus	Falco rusticolus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

LC — Least Concern

Gyrfalcon

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Gyrfalcon
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Habitat

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

Range

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

Gyrfalcon

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Gyrfalcon

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

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