Written and researched by: Eoghan Mitchell
Hello and welcome. If you have ever gone outside, you may have seen the bird, and if
you happen to live in Ireland, you may have seen a sparrowhawk. Sparrowhawks are the
most common birds of prey here in Ireland. Their impressive size and unique behaviours
in both hunting and mating has made them so fascinating to wildlife activists and
birdwatchers here in Ireland alike. Today I would like to tell you about these incredible
animals and explain why they are so important and should be protected here in my local
area.
Appearance and Physical Traits
Sparrowhawks belong to the raptor family of birds. Males are a blueish grey colour and
are smaller than their female counterparts. Females have a greyer colour to their
feathers. Both genders have broad wingspans. This makes them very easy to identify,
here in Ireland, because of their size and unique plumage.
Diet
Here in Ireland, sparrowhawks are at the top of their food chain. They eat all animals that
are smaller than them this includes rodents, insects and other birds. Sparrowhawks are
carnivorous, because of this they evolved hooked beaks to help catch their prey.
Hunting Habits
Sparrowhawks primarily hunt other species of birds. These hunts take a long time.
Sparrowhawks rely on pursuing their prey until its prey exhaust itself. Once its prey is
tired and within reach of the sparrowhawk it will grab it using its talons. This hunting
method is typical for a bird of prey. Sparrowhawks also have highly specialised eyes to
help them find prey whilst they’re in flight, or at night. Sparrowhawks are crucial to the
food chain of the ecosystems that they are a part of because, they help to reduce the
number of predatory organisms in area, this allows prey populations to have a chance
to reproduce and increase the number of that species in the area. This results in the
ecosystem becoming more biodiverse, thanks to the presence of the sparrowhawk.
Breeding and Habitat
Sparrowhawks can be commonly found across Ireland in woodlands, farms, fields,
forests and gardens. Sparrowhawks tend to make their nests in trees. Sparrowhawks
favour wooded areas to make their nests. In recent years as people expand urban
settlements outwards, we have begun to encroach on the natural habitats of
sparrowhawks this is leading two sparrowhawks establishing nests in places like the
roofs of buildings.
Results of Urban Sprawl
Urban sprawl is when human settlements expand outwards. As human settlements
encroach on ecosystems belonging to sparrowhawks it has caused sparrowhawks to
change their habits to adapt to a lifestyle in Irish towns. Small birds that would typically
feed on bird feeders within gardens in urbanise settlements are now preyed upon by
sparrowhawks. Sparrowhawks are now facing more competition from urban cats in
cities and towns. This is having a negative effect on the prey species that these hunters’
prey upon. Prey species in urban Ireland are beginning to decline because of this.
Competition
Competition is a biotic factor. Biotic factors are how living things live and how an
organism living affects the organisms around it. Although they are on the top of the food
chain here in Ireland, sparrowhawks still face competition from other animals, one of
these animals is the common cat. Cats are very good ambush predators; they are also
very good at sneaking up on their prey. Both sparrowhawks and cats compete over the
same prey species. Cats hunt small birds, and rodents such as mice and rats unlike the
sparrowhawk domesticated cats are invasive to ecosystems. If an animal is invasive, it
is not originally part of an ecosystem but finds its way into that ecosystem. Invasive
species can cause major disturbances within an ecosystem leading to species going
extinct or becoming endangered. To counteract this pet owners are being encouraged to
put bells around the necks of their cats. The bell gives the animal that the cat preying on
a chance to get away, because it hears the ringing of the bell. This does not negatively
affect the cat, because domesticated cats have their nutritional needs met by food
given to them by their owners. This does however reduce the effect of this invasive
species on an ecosystem.
Relationship with farmers
Sparrowhawks hunt rats and mice; these rodents are pests commonly found on farms.
Sparrowhawk intervention keeps the quantity of these pests at a controlled amount,
this is considered helpful to farmers and their livestock.it is important to mention that in
some rare instances sparrowhawks have been recorded to have hunted chickens for
food, but it is important to note that the sparrowhawks in these instances were very
desperate for a meal. Despite their importance some farmers still kill sparrowhawks
regardless of merit, this is usually achieved using a gun such as a rifle. Hunting
sparrowhawks is done for sport or entertainment and is harmful to the natural
ecosystem of an area. The simplest way to reduce the amount of sparrowhawk deaths
caused by farmers, is to educate them on the important role that these raptors play in
ecosystem across Ireland and Europe.
What could Happen if Sparrowhawks disappeared from
these ecosystems?
If sparrowhawks were to disappear from our local ecosystems there would be two
foreseeable outcomes. The first possible outcome would be that the ecosystem would
be hurt initially but over time new predators would adapt to the environment to hunt the
prey that was once hunted by the sparrowhawk. This would result in the ecosystem
reaching a new natural balance. The other possible outcome is far more pessimistic, the
animals that were hunted by the sparrowhawk would see a population increase
because they are experiencing less predation. This would place strain on the food
source off the sparrowhawks prey, resulting in catastrophic damage to the ecosystem.
What is Happening in my Local Area, to help with animal
conservation?
There are several animal welfare/conservation gropes here in counties Carlow and Laois
that help our local ecosystems, some of them are Laois County Council and our branch
of the Irish wildlife trust, the Laois/Offaly branch. These organizations promote wildlife
and habitat conservation in the ecosystems in my local. These gropes try to raise funds
so they can help wildlife further.
What can You Do to help with animal conservation in
your local area?
In your local area there is gropes who are trying to help animals and their welfare, if you
want to get involved in animal conservation and welfare get involved with these gropes.
You can also organize events to educate people on environmental issues, or just to raise
money to be used to help the environment.
Thank you for reading this word document and please get involved in local animal
welfare organizations, if you can.
Sources
Birdwatch Ireland
Ulster Wildlife Trust (for general information)
Dublin Mountains Partnership