Eurasian Sparrowhawk vs Rough-Legged Buzzard

Accipiter nisus compared with Buteo lagopus

Key Differences

Eurasian Sparrowhawk is Least Concern while Rough-Legged Buzzard is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Rough-Legged Buzzard
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Accipiter	Buteo
Species	Accipiter nisus	Buteo lagopus

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Rough-Legged Buzzard share a common ancestor at the Family level: Accipitridae. (Hawks & Eagles)

View Family: Accipitridae

Conservation Status

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

LC — Least Concern

Rough-Legged Buzzard

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Rough-Legged Buzzard
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.

Rough-Legged Buzzard

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 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.

Rough-Legged Buzzard

Rough-Legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) 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.