Eurasian Sparrowhawk vs Hover fly

Accipiter nisus compared with Eristalis rupium

Key Differences

• Eurasian Sparrowhawk is Least Concern while Hover fly is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Hover fly
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Diptera (Diptera)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Syrphidae
Genus	Accipiter	Eristalis
Species	Accipiter nisus	Eristalis rupium

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Hover fly share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

LC — Least Concern

Hover fly

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Hover fly
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.

Hover fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden