Falconry: Introduction to goshawks

This video introduces the Northern Goshawk and explains basic biology, hunting abilities, and pros and cons of training a goshawk in the sport of falconry.
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[@heidiholtz4382]

Ben is the best teacher! I think he’s the most knowledgeable falconer on the internet. We are lucky he is sharing with us. Thank you Mr Woodruff!

[@martinbootneck6535]

Excellent video. I'm a retired Falconer and I had been a falconer for 4 years before I got my first Goshawk. My mentor had a breeding pair (we live in UK) and he said when he and I agreed I was ready, he would allow me to choose an egg from one of his clutches. The egg I chose turned out to be a female and she was a fantastic bird. So I saw her as an egg, then saw her hatch, so I felt a complete bond with her. And yes I agree, It is definitely NOT a beginner's bird.

[@niallbourke4425]

Very good information about Goshawks, I have a few Finnish Goshawks and they are wild, unpredictable even when hand reared correctly, weight management is critical, fit weight and fat weight make them behave different. You are correct, not a beginner bird. They get stressed by everything, even things they see everyday since born. Good quality food is essential, they need high grade such as quail very regularly. Males here weigh in about 2lb (0.9kg) females up to 3.5lb (1.5kg). Keep up the good work Ben.

[@Luxfer999]

My experience was totally different. Indeed Buteoides are considered the calmest of goshawks. Regards

[@brienfoaboutanything9037]

True about Northern goshawk: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnvak35ja7iXbsU

[@codycox2685]

Great information. Thanks.

[@vinny-lp5qv]

There was a beautiful HD slow motion video out a few years back of a Goshawk negotiating its way through a wooded area and the bird reminded me of an athlete running a obstacle course it was the most amazing thing i have ever seen!

[@FalconsLedge]

I couldn't agree more with Ben here that you should really have a mentor that understands accipterine behavior prior to getting your first accipiter. I can speak from experience that it is such a game changer.

[@warcrimesmorelikefuntimes6808]

I love how you set up your videos. They are so informative and you don’t fail to keep up with all the notable points. From beginning with the history, structural traits, behavioral traits, and hunting traits to finishing with the details one would encounter when handling a goshawk. I also really like that you mention all sorts of expenses to consider and I know others do too.

[@johnstwistedego1]

Fantastic! I look forward to seeing some training videos! Would also love to see similar intro vids about other types of raptors. Cheers!

[@pakcanhunter]

Wow. So much Info. Why didnt I find you're channel earlier.

[@Metrzan]

Would definitely love to see your take on training goshawks.

[@lancegreen6795]

Awesome video! I'm just starting in Flaconry so I would love to see more videos on the strengths and weaknesses on different birds.

[@greatspottedwoodpeck]

That was an absolute brilliant introduction to Goshawks, you fitted an incredible amount of info into 20 minutes. The only thing you left out is how to get through the problem of the juvenile bird getting violent, demanding food from you. I can't think how you would do that. Maybe you might do another video to explain what to do there? Looking forward to more videos from you, on other species. (I'm sure you've done others, I haven't seen them yet, I'll do a search.) Great stuff, Ben, keep up the great work! Thank you!

[@MickeySwiftman23]

This is a great video. You’re an excellent teacher. Love the passion and clarity.

[@00dreamer00]

Loving this series

[@mik3ymomo]

Love hearing him teach. Nothing like learning from a passionate authority on a subject.

[@Stratigic_Cheese_Reserve]

Very informative! Would love to see more, thank you!

[@jesusguerrero1742]

Thank you for contributing your knowledge

[@glennhynes5263]

Great information. Very well presented. Thanks

[@canadianperp]

dude anyone giving this guy thumbs down...is just a hater....jealous...wanna see a person lay it out half as good as u do ben...taking exam end april!!!!!

[@codycox2685]

Taking mine today

[@mohammedyasar2079]

Excellent video mate. Very informative thanks 👍

[@moanerboner3522]

I would love it if you do a video or series of videos on training goshawks! Thank you for being so informative w/the species' history as well as mentioning potential problems--along w/a title for further reading!

[@svenhoek]

Excellent! More please!

[@tylerwallzs5987]

I love your videos! Thanks for the knowledge!!

[@alexflores6161]

Great vid!!! Definitely want to see some training vids. Thx

[@heritagefalconry-andywelsh]

Excellent stuff Ben👍

[@shaneliu4170]

Great content, thanks!

[@castrumsolitas4355]

Love your video, tons of info! Thank you.

[@Justme1987justme]

awesome vid :) i realy enjoi how u explain things :) keep it up cant wait to see new vids greets from austria

[@johnedward8352]

Thanks, super interesting

[@galactikbutterfly]

The gos is my favorite bird since highschool

[@aquarionh2o132]

Great detailing.

[@MassiveLib]

Just finished H is for Hawk this evening. Mixed feelings about the author but I did enjoy the book.

[@mattrishton]

Great stuff Ben!

[@cinnamonbergeron2842]

I am really enjoying your videos!

[@autringer]

wow...wow really !!! you have to translate this video in Italian, is so clear ad very well explained, I am a lover of the goshawks, I would say that as an introduction it is perfect, clear and also good fun.I just wanted to clarify that in Europe we have goshawks that go from 800 gr to 1400 gr "weight of the female" depends on the origin, Spain Italy are those of smaller size and more nervous than the larger ones of the far north. thanks from Italy

[@onewithnature8435]

You are full of great knowledge about birds. I caught a northern goshawk on my trail cam last winter eating a pygmy owl. And I tracked down a sharp shinned hawk close to my home and caught some great photos. I'm currently searching for the nest.

[@amirkhan8225]

A very informative video. Well done.

[@emilyfrank5738]

This was a very interesting video. I live in a suburb east of Niagara Falls, NY and never thought I would see one in my neighborhood, let alone in my own backyard. A pair lived here one summer (2020). I knew they were different by their size, shape and call. One day, as I was looking at a rather bucolic scene watching robins eat, one swooped down, as if out of nowhere and grabbed a robin. I yelled at it, lol. It looked at me for a moment and as quickly as it came, it was gone. Amazing speed! Although I wish it would have been a starling, I realized how fortunate I was to see what had happened. I was impressed with this beautiful, grayish "hawk", that after careful research, I decided could only have been a Northern Goshawk. Thank you for your informative video.

[@jonahmcbride934]

Just really great!

[@hunterj985]

More Goshawk videos 🙏

[@storyboardproductions]

Really interesting - they are beautiful birds.

[@ac9356]

I would love to see how you train your birds

[@EmilianoLoconsolo]

Spot on

[@jakobfolmar6604]

Never had so much as a cockatoo but damn the info this guy has is amazing. Just seen a goshawk on Netflix what a bad ass bird!

[@dandaniszewski2920]

Tea. I'd like to see some training videos starting from the beginning. But not necessarily imprints.

[@bigDbigDbigD]

Ben, Could you discuss weight management in the medieval period?

[@dandaniszewski2920]

I'd like some early Coopers Hawk training with passages.

[@tomojureta9338]

Great vid..do a video on an imprinitg goshawk...cheers from Croatia

[@SqueezeMe423]

Would love more goshawk video I didn’t even know they existed lol

[@lohikarhu734]

The description of Goshawk behaviours cdrtainly seems to call for at least *some traing and/or hunting videos! Thanks for this video. BTW, you may have seen some videos from Finland of Goshawks hunting and killing prey, right in the city...and, they don't seem to 'worry' if it's dead when they start to eat. It seems like Peregrines take a bit more care to incapacitate their prey, perhaps because they are also a bit 'cheetah-like', and easily damaged. I've also seen videos of 'sparrow hawks' taking larger prey, and just ripping into them, but even saw one purposely drown a prey bird! Woops...going on a bit. Yes, goshawk training, and, if possible, some video comparison of the North American compared to the Finnish(or other Nordic) birds. Also, goshawk flying through obstacles: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHSplJ6gm7VgZ6c

[@markr1142]

A lot of predators aren't too bothered about their prey being dead before they start to eat it. You are correct though falcons break the neck first and then eat. It is probably so they don't get injured. I don't know if you have ever seen a ferruginous hawk catch prey, but they rip into it quicker than most, literally the second they catch it. They have huge mouths and eat really quickly, almost choking at times. Where they live, I guess they think a bigger predator will steal it from them if they don't eat fast.

[@Sunsaintsandwaves]

I remember watching a goshawk chase a rabbit after watching Harris hawks do it, and it was such a different story. The rabbit found a pile of wood to escape into but the goshawk was onto the chase so much quicker than the other hawks I had observed.

[@pakcanhunter]

Rewatching this one.

[@jamescharles6296]

Hi ben. Thanks for posting your videos, they are great and very educational. I live in the south west of England (salisbury plain). 30 years I had a European common buzzard for 3 seasons. I the future I would like to move onto a goshawk. What bird do you think would suit me know in the interim, a red tail hawk or a Harris hawk, I am leaning more towards a red tail, but just wondered about your thoughts. Thanks tom. 🦅

[@jamescharles6296]

Sorry I meant 30 years AGO!

[@jimmcdonald9244]

I was hoping for some footage of a hunt, but all we got was a discourse on goshawks. Maybe next time..

[@thefamilydog6392]

Thankyou! I’ve subbed! Greetings from London england , I’ve become a budding hobbyist; interested in becoming an apprentice, I’ve started reading H is for hawk, and I’m regularly listening to an American podcast which is guest based and it’s called falconry told. Are you aware of it? I’d love to hear you guest on the show (Facebook groups in England for falconry and Austringers are the nastiest I’ve come across) if your in contact with good folk in the uk , could you put me in touch? Appreciate your videos , on point ;) , isaac

[@dulcilass]

At the moment I am trying to figure out what type of hawk we have hunting in our back yard. After looking at so many photos and videos, I was beginning to think that they might be northern goshawks. They are huge birds with one of the pair being slightly larger than the other. Their backs are a dark gray. A mixture of feathers on the chest gives the appearance of a lighter gray. The tail feathers are long. Their bodies though seem rounder than you have described the goshawk. They'll be standing by a flower bed stalking whatever they've driven in to the foliage and they reminded me of basketballs with wings. What ever these hawks are they are magnificent. I should add that I live in Northern Illinois and due to the fires in Cananda am wondering if they ight have arrived in the area jus this year. I have never seen such birds before.

[@yahelmedinaberrones7895]

Excellent info ben If you can make videos of this type for peregrine Falcon Aplomado falcon and Harris hawk I will really appreciate it

[@matildak109]

Ben what is good book to train a parent rared goskawk

[@CROTNIK-yu4mq]

Hello Ben,greetings Can you make this kind of video on sparrowhawks (acc.ni.) and the one how to find their nest, thank you!!

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

CROTNIK 1009 I haven’t had a lot of experience with them, but I have done a lot with sharp shinned hawks, which are very similar. I will be doing some videos on sharp shins very soon and that should help some

[@rockmcdwayne1710]

Interestingly around here, in northern europe, we call these as ''chicken hawk''. I think they have gotten their name as such because of all the chicken they have killed over the centuries. I remember from childhood where we lost 10 chickens to a single goshawk during a summer!

[@alanarmer8069]

👍👍🦅🦅👍👍

[@KhawarAliKhaur2156]

Good 👍👍👍

[@kaimensearle4323]

Hey, just saw this pop up on my recommended. How are you doing, I haven't talked to you in a while.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Kaimen Searle doing good. Keeping busy. How are you doing these days?

[@snowscum]

Ben, can i send you a picture of I was told it was a coopers hawk but looks like your Goshawk. There is a pair that come back every year to my neighborhood and would like to know the difference. There was another female here earlier that looked different than this one that was here last year. Do you know if they intermingle? Do you have a email I could send u a picture?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

gomer pile sure thing. [e-mail].

[@Bjarku]

Hi Ben, I have a question. Why do Harris Hawks drop their head when they’re wary of you or angry at you? It doesn’t seem to make sense given that they’re deliberately exposing the back of their neck to your face but every time when a HH hates me or distrusts me it drops its head and squawks. It just seems like the most vulnerable position it could possibly adopt. Could it be some kind of bird equivalent of Stotting where it’s saying ‘I’m so alpha I can expose my neck to your face and I don’t even care’?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

When most species are in the nest, is the earliest age I see this behavior. I see it in all diurnal raptors. When they mantle over food, they poop up their feathers on their chest and put out their wings and claim their food and aggressively defend it from their siblings. In that circumstance, dropping their head, next to the food, might be a way for them to say, my beak is right next to this food so if you come near it, I am going to attack you. With most raptors they will stand tall to be aggressive, and drop their head to be possessive. Once they leave the nest and parents care, they may not do the entire posture, but may simple do the head drop, or head drop and chest feathers proofed up. My theory of why Harris hawks do this more is because they do t ever leave the family, but continue in a back with the greater family group. So since they are used to having a pecking order in and around a kill long after they are fledged and leave the nest, they still keep that nestling possessive posture, but now it evolves into a type of possessive/aggressive combo. This is just my theory based off of watching them over the years.

[@Bjarku]

Ben Woodruff Wow! Thanks, Ben! Didn’t expect to get a reply so soon! I started falconry again (after a bit of a hiatus) in the UK this year and I’m loving it. We don’t have to apprentice here but I thought it would be a good idea to do so in order to learn and help out another falconer who needs help now that Covid and lockdowns have essentially killed his business. I use your videos as a cheat sheet and I love your knowledge of bird body language and behaviour. You’re like the falconer’s Jackson Galaxy/Cesar Milan! We weigh our birds with bullet jesses on and we untangle them from the bird’s talons and hold them off the scale so as to get an accurate reading but with the dominant females I often end up getting taloned quite a bit on my ungloved hand. Any tips on how to avoid this?

[@danhughes3626]

Hey Ben I have female hh...she started to pluck thighs she got hurt could not fly How can I stop this...asap...will they do this forever once it starts...the falconry community has fractured from covid PLEASE NET ME KNOW

[@timothyknutsen5212]

At :21 is that a Harpy Eagle?

[@markovasic1107]

Hello Ben! Can you please make video about making proper social imprint. Is social imprint just less vocal or it is silent as bird reared by parents? Keep up the good work!

[@eliakimbenishchayil]

I have a gray hawk with blood red eyes from South America, can you tell me what it is I can send you a picture.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Sure thing

[@eliakimbenishchayil]

@@benwoodrufffalconry do you have an email I can send it to?

[@viralvidsrepository4632]

Would a season with a coopers be a good primer for a goshawk?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Viral Vids Repository in one sense yes, but I almost would flip it. Training a gos first is good prep for a coops. They both teach you good lessons, but a goshawk is a bit easier to train and a bit more forgiving. But if you properly train and hunt with a Cooper’s hawk, you will absolutely excel when you fly a gos.

[@viralvidsrepository4632]

@@benwoodrufffalconry Would a sharp shin be a better starting point in the accipters? I'm flying a kestrel this year, but want to switch to accipiters next season.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Viral Vids Repository yes if you have flown a kestrel first and know how to dial in weight management on a small bird, then a sharp shin is an EXCELLENT intro to accipiter. They are the most forgiving of the three, fairly easy to train, and there is always lots of game available. And even though they are smaller than a coops, they still teach the fundamental lessons of accipiters that will serve you well when you get a gos.

[@nonstopadventures13]

Is teaching a gosh hawk to fallow or do they like to fly ahead and then wait on you

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Goshawks can certainly be trained to follow, or even fly ahead, but it doesn’t play to their strengths the way it does with Buteos. Goshawks are the absolute perfection of off the fist hawking, and do well hunting in this way. But if you have terrain where following-style hunting is more practical, then goshawks can definitely do it.

[@nonstopadventures13]

@@benwoodrufffalconry thank sir for tha reply and advice I understand what your saying I never have hunted right off the fist befor and where I am hunting might be hard to I hunt real thick brush feilds might be hard to hold the bird at the same time a Buteo might just be best then for my area , so you by chanc sell signed books I missed out on getting a couple of your books in meet and greet raffles I was disappointed I didn’t win them

[@alipetuniashow]

For the goshawks wait for the new update/patch:)

[@hussamqassas8603]

I have my own story about goshawks from the Middle East, I will tell you about it when we talk to gather , because I believe that we will be a very good friends 😐

[@SettieSpaghetti]

I have one in my yard 😬

[@jamiegrieve5875]

Will a goshawk take a raven for their prey in the wild does anyone

[@daveyboy6985]

they have been known to, particularly the larger female Goshawk.

[@shahiboxing]

What about Harris's hawks?

[@TheSpiritofTrance]

The bird is beautiful but...the personality is like"bad bird" i saw inumerous attacks and just kill for example the ospreys babes( and almost adults size) just to kill...

[@rosepop8195]

Red tailed hawk = buzzard Ferruginous hawk = buzzard Why do Americans call buzzards hawks ?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Rose pop 81 I am not positive, but I have a theory. Although buteos/buzzards are flown today, they were not really flown in Europe during the medieval times. From the texts of the times, it seems they were viewed as sluggish unsporting birds, not fit for a lord or a gentleman. So the term “buzzard” had a negative connotation. Now many of the earliest British immigrants to America were people without means looking for a new start and the opportunity for land. These people were not highly educated. Such people would have had very little schooling. But they would have at least been familiar with the term “buzzard” as a derogatory term for slow flying broad winged birds of prey. Once in America, they started seeing large turkey vultures and black vultures. They started referring them as “buzzards” falconry didn’t really take off in America until the 1900’s.’So the inaccurate term of “buzzard” applies to vultures, was free to grow in popularity and misuse. This is my theory as I see it.

[@dorthymaddock1816]

Old English European hold over, still in use. What's a paserine, know of this?🙋🤷🤓

[@jantirpak7902]

Hi, I'm from Europe. I'm just goshawks. I also have golden eagles, but goshawk is a favorite. Buzzards are all predators for Europeans. Buteos. They are slow, favor little prey. Although at present Europe behaves red tail and haris hawk, but this is for their easier training. But if you come to the biggest meeting in Central Europe Castle Opocno so you will see that the goshawk is more successful than the red tail. Well trained female goshawk 920 g can catch 3.5 kg jackrabit. Ben says very well that it is very complicated to manage their hunting weight. He's a very experienced falconer. I never had a goshawk with North America and therefore can't compare them. If you do not pay goshawk for a week then you start training again. Of course it will go faster. Imprints are suitable for training on a large and warlike prey such as jacrabit. But in bad training they become aggressive. Therefore, the most suitable for training are young goshawks standing on the edge of the nest. They know nothing to hunt, but they have respect for man. Anyone who wants to practice goshawk should have a tail guard. The female is calmer, but the male is faster. The male Accipiter Gentilis Gentilis cannot handle jackrabit. The exception is subspec. A.G. Buteoides and A.G. Albidus is bigger and the male catches jackrabbit. I saw a female A.G.G. she caught a swan. J

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Dorthy Maddock passerines are any birds from the taxonomic order “Passeriformes” this is around half of all birds. Many of which are the song birds.

[@johnlindsay8630]

Yes then let it be awesome in all of your videos you say this but it's all talk you don't I don't see anything else but you talkin no training videos no nothing you know what I mean it's like a buck what I pictures maybe you can put more training in the species you're talking about if you have it would be appreciated thank you very much have a nice day

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

john lindsay thanks for the input. I have been training and hunting with birds of prey since 1989. I come from a very different mindset. That a person should not show people without a license the techniques of falconry first fear that they may practice illegally without a license or a mentor/sponsor. This is the way I grew up being taught. So I have resisted making these videos. I have also hesitated depicting hunting footage, because the internet is filled with people who hate falconry and wish yo make it illegal. It is far too easy for someone to illegally take part of one of my videos depicting hunting and to use it to try to stir up anti-falconry sentiments. This is why I didn’t make videos for years. But I finally started to because I saw that other people were sharing videos without explaining things properly and it made the sport look really bad. So I started making these as a counter measure to attempt to get some good info, phrased honestly, but diplomatically. Because of this, I have never felt a need in years past to film myself training birds or hunting with birds. I just go out and hunt and enjoy it. But I am coming around to the idea. So this upcoming fall I intend to film more training and hunting and make videos of that kind. For that matter I literally wrote the book on trapping. Look up “Trapping Essentials” from Western Sporting Publications. All these years I could have easily been making videos about trapping. But again, I was taught the old way of thinking, that you should not share trapping techniques with non falconers or they might trap birds illegally and hurt the bird or themselves. But now there are so many (poorly explained) trapping videos out, I am starting to consider making some trapping videos to get the correct information out there. So in the coming months, be watching for more content with hunting, training, and trapping. Thanks again for the input! 👍👍👍

[@TheHardwickHomestead]

This is my least favorite bird, I have a goshawk that is eating all my chickens and ducks LOL.