Afghanistan (B), Albania (B), Algeria, Andorra (B) (NB), Armenia (B), Austria (B) (NB), Azerbaijan (B) (NB), Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus (B) (NB), Belgium (B) (NB), Bhutan (B), Bosnia and Herzegovina (B), Bulgaria (B) (NB) (P), China (mainland) (B), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B) (NB), Cyprus (B) (NB), Czech Republic (B) (NB), Denmark (B) (NB) (P), Djibouti, Egypt, Estonia (B) (NB), Ethiopia, Finland (B) (NB) (P), France (B) (NB) (P), Georgia (B) (P), Germany (B) (NB) (P), Gibraltar, Greece (B) (NB) (P), Hong Kong (China), Hungary (B) (NB), India (B), Iran [Islamic Republic of] (B), Iraq (B) (NB) (P), Ireland (B) (NB), Israel (B), Italy (B) (NB), Japan (B), Jordan (NB) (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan (B), Laos, Latvia (B) (NB) (P), Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein (B) (NB), Lithuania (B) (NB), Luxembourg (B) (NB), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B) (NB), Malta, Mauritania, Moldova [Republic of] (B) (NB), Monaco (B), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B), Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal (B), Netherlands Antilles (B) (NB), Niger, North Korea (B), Norway (B), Oman, Pakistan (B), Poland (B) (NB), Portugal (B) (NB) (P), Qatar, Romania (B) (NB) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Russia (European) (B) (P), San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia (B), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B) (NB), Slovenia (B) (NB), South Korea (B), Spain (B) (NB) (P), Sudan, Sweden (B) (NB) (P), Switzerland (B) (NB), Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan (China), Tajikistan (B), Tanzania [United Republic of], Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey (B) (NB), Ukraine (B) (NB) (P), United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom (B) (NB), Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
Vagrant to Brunei Darussalam, Chad, Faroe Islands, Gambia, Iceland, Malaysia, Mali, Somalia, South Africa, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Western Sahara.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 1,500,000 (2010).
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) [XC482657]
by Frank Holzapfel from Saint-Cyr, Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (begging call)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) [XC621661]
by Andr\u00e1s Schmidt from Alvega (near Ortiga), Abrantes, Santar\u00e9m, Portugal (call)
Nest
A platform of sticks, in a tree. An old nest may be used as a foundation.
Eggs (Guide)
4 - 6; whitish, heavily blotched and spotted with reddish-brown; spherical. Incubation: 35 days; by female.
Subspecies
Sometimes considered to include Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk (Accipiter rufiventris). Forms superspecies with Madagascar Sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis), Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk (Accipiter rufiventris) and perhaps the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) complex. Birds from mountains of central Asia (Tien Shan) sometimes separated in subspecies dementjevi. Many other dubious subspecies described.
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
nisus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Europe and Asia Minor east to western Siberia. Winters south to north-eastern Africa and Middle East.
nisosimilis (Tickell, 1833) - Central and eastern Asia. Winters south to India, Sri Lanka and Indochina.
melaschistos Hume, 1869 - Himalayas and mountains of central Asia.
wolterstorffi Kleinschmidt, O, 1901 - Corsica and Sardinia.
granti Sharpe, 1890 - Madeira and Canary Is.
punicus Erlanger, 1897 - North-western Africa, from Morocco to Tunisia.
dementjevi Stepanyan, 1958 - Pamir-Alai to Tien Shan Mts (central Asia).
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet