American Goshawks are famously secretive and hard to find. This bird was detected because of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet giving alarm calls. Image courtesy of Ted Floyd.

Researchers at the University of Maine are asking birders for help tracking one of the Northeast’s most secretive raptors, the American Goshawk.

Dr. Amber Roth and Dr. Adrian Naveda-Rodriguez are coordinating a goshawk breeding survey across the region. The Roth Lab is seeking information on any active goshawk nests observed between 2020 and 2025 in any of the following states: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

If you’ve encountered a nesting goshawk during that time in those places, your records could make a valuable contribution to the project. Birders are invited to share details using the online submission form here: American Goshawk Nesting Survey.

These data will help fill critical gaps in understanding the status and distribution of this difficult-to-detect species. With goshawks and nest observations of any species, the ABA encourages birders to follow the ABA Code of Birding Ethics and exercise care and restraint around any active bird nests.

Taxonomic Revisions

The American Goshawk was formerly part of the Northern Goshawk complex (Accipiter gentilis), found in North America, Europe, and Asia, which made it the largest, as well as the most secretive, of the three regularly occurring Accipiter species in the ABA Area. In 2023, American Goshawk, Accipiter atricapillus, was recognized as distinct from Eurasian Goshawk, A. gentilis, splitting the species.

Although American Goshawk was also historically placed in the genus Accipiter, new genetic evidence revealed Accipiter was not a monophyletic group, meaning Accipiter species did not all share a common evolutionary ancestor. In 2024, the genus Astur was resurrected for certain species, including American Goshawk and Cooper’s Hawk, along with seven other former Accipiter species globally, and so American Goshawk became Astur atricapillus.

Natural History

The American Goshawk is one of the largest North American raptors, noticeably bigger and bulkier than the similar Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks. It prefers extensive, mature forests, which depending on the region can be coniferous, deciduous, or mixed. The striking white eyebrow or supercilium is a famous field mark for the species. This powerful ambush predator hunts medium-sized birds and mammals.

American Goshawks are sensitive to habitat disturbance and prefer large, intact mature forests. Image courtesy of David Bruggink

Tips for Finding

Well known for being hard to detect, when birders do encounter American Goshawks, it may only be for a quick moment as the bird flies off. Goshawks are early nesters and give a loud alarm call near their nests, but they are otherwise quite inconspicuous despite their large size.

Large mature forest tracts with closed canopies give birders the best chance. Birds may be found alongside a clearing or forest edge while they hunt, but they may just as easily be happened upon in the deep wood. Goshawks are not an easy species to specifically seek out. They can sometimes be detected when small songbirds mob them, so listen for such encounters in appropriate habitat.

Conservation

American Goshawks are widespread but elusive. Sensitive to fragmentation and disturbance, American Goshawk populations are believed to be declining throughout at least some parts of their vast range. Goshawks are known to abandon nests if disturbed, so birders are reminded that if they do discover nests, minimize disturbance and keep a good distance. 

The beacons are lit, as goshawk researchers call for aid documenting known nest sites to help conserve this sensitive species. Will birders answer?

Frank Izaguirre edits Birding magazine, along with Ted Floyd and Michael Retter. Frank also writes articles for the ABA’s website and creates social media posts for the association’s various social media platforms. With Kelly Smith, Frank co-runs the Bird of the Year Program, which entails working with the Bird of the Year artist and writing articles that promote the Bird of the Year Program and conservation efforts related to the Bird of the Year. Frank also regularly appears on the American Birding Podcast as a guest and occasionally as a guest host. Frank enjoys local birding in bad weather and networking with birders around the world. He also loves looking for salamanders and moths. Frank lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his patch is Schenley Park.