Hover fly vs Sharp-shinned Hawk

Eristalis rupium compared with Accipiter striatus

Key Differences

• Hover fly is Near Threatened while Sharp-shinned Hawk is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

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

Evolutionary Relationship

Hover fly and Sharp-shinned Hawk share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Hover fly

NT — Near Threatened

Sharp-shinned Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hover fly	Sharp-shinned Hawk
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, United States, and Venezuela.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States