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Hawk
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{{short description|Bird of prey}} {{other uses|Hawk (disambiguation)|Hawks (disambiguation)}} {{pp|sock|small=yes}} {{Use British English|date=February 2020}} {{Paraphyletic group | image = Northern Goshawk ad M2.jpg | image_caption = Adult [[Eurasian goshawk]] | auto = yes | parent = Accipitridae }} [[File:Accipiter striatusDO1908P02CA.JPG|thumb|[[Sharp-shinned hawk]], a small member of the [[Accipitrinae]] subfamily]] '''Hawks''' are [[bird of prey|birds of prey]] of the family [[Accipitridae]]. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except [[Antarctica]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=hawk {{!}} Types, Diet, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/hawk-bird |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[subfamily]] [[Accipitrinae]] includes [[goshawk]]s, [[sparrowhawk]]s, [[sharp-shinned hawk]]s, and others. This subfamily are mainly woodland birds with short broad wings, long tails, and high visual acuity. They hunt by dashing suddenly from a concealed perch.<ref>Campbell, B., Lack.E (2013) A Dictionary of Birds. p.273</ref> In [[America]], members of the ''[[Buteo]]'' group are also called hawks, though birds of this group are called [[buzzard]]s in other parts of the world. Generally, buteos have broad wings and sturdy builds. They are relatively larger-winged and shorter-tailed than accipiters, and fly further distances in open areas. Buteos descend or pounce on their prey rather than engaging in fast, horizontal pursuit. The terms ''accipitrine hawk'' and ''buteonine hawk'' are used to distinguish between the types in regions where ''hawk'' applies to both. The term ''"true hawk"'' is sometimes used for the accipitrine hawks in regions where ''buzzard'' is preferred for the buteonine hawks. All these groups are members of the family [[Accipitridae]], which includes hawks and buzzards as well as [[Kite (bird)|kite]]s, [[harrier (bird)|harrier]]s, and [[eagle]]s. To confuse things further, some authors use "hawk" generally for any small to medium [[Accipitrid]] that is not an eagle.<ref name=Debus1998>{{cite book|last1=Debus|first1=Stephen J. S.|title=The birds of prey of Australia: a field guide|date=1990|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Melbourne|isbn=0-19-550624-3|pages=12, 16, 62}} Debus writes that the osprey is "a large aquatic hawk, with adaptations for catching fish by plunge-diving into water"; the elanid kites are "small, gull-like, grey-and-white hawks with black forewing patches"; and, of the harriers, that the "hawks in this cosmopolitan genus ('circling hawk') are so-called because of their low harrying flight". But he refers to the "typical or milvine kites" as "large kites", not hawks.</ref> [[File:Red-tailed Hawk.jpg|thumb|A [[Red-tailed hawk]] (''Buteo jamaicensis''), a member of the [[Buteo]] group]] The common names of some birds include the term "hawk", reflecting traditional usage rather than taxonomy. For example, some people may call an [[osprey]] a "[[fish hawk]]" or a [[peregrine falcon]] a "[[duck hawk]]".
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