Posted by Raptorman 16/04/09
Humans have developed a system of classifying animals and plants. It is referred to as taxonomy. Birds are broken down into various groups. The Kingdom is: Animalia; the Phylum is: Chordata; the Class is: Aves; the Order is: Accipitroforms, Falconforms, and Strigforms; the Family is: Accipitridae, Cathartidae, Falconidae, Strigidae and Tytonidae. (Still having fun :-) )
The Accipitridae includes: Eagles. True Hawks, Kites, Osprey, Buteo like Hawks, Hawks, and Harrier (This list is for North America.)
Now the True Hawks and the Hawks are the two groups you are inquiring about. The True hawks (Accipiters) and the Hawks (Buteos) are their common names and formal names. The Accipiters (Genus)are the Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk and the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Species). (Again this is American species. You have the Goshawk and Sparrow Hawk only in Scotland, I believe, perhaps bob man can help us here. The Buteos are the Red-shouldered, Broad-winged, Short-tailed, Swainson's, White-tailed, Red-tailed, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks. (Again these are American species. You likely have the Common Buzzard. Buzzard is often used as a common term in Britain and other parts of the "Old World" which can be synonymous with the buteo shape. The Americas are thought of as the "New World".
Now to your real question. Shape and behavior are factors that distinguish these two Genus. Accipiters are generally long tailed (about 1/2 the total body length), shorter winged forest hawks, while Buteos are generally shorter tailed (about 1/3 the total body length), longer winged more open habitat hawks. There is often general differences in some of the flight used by the two genus. Accipiters tend to be (but not restricted to) hunting in the forest so their shape allows them to be much greater an maneuvering between obstacles because of their shape (tail as a rudder, wings as the motor plus being shorter they can beat faster and fit between narrower spaces). The accipiters tend to hunt much closer to the ground. Buteos are much more likely to soar as a large part of their hunting flight platform. Their wings allow for more efficient use of thermals and updrafts. By being high they command a larger hunting territory that may hold prey they are capable of catching. Because of their efficiency in hunting they burn up less calories than the accipiters who are normally providing the energy to pursue prey.
This is only some of the major differences between the genus and species. But it is a start and I hope it helps.
Bill |