Sparrowhawks is a reasonably common bird in woodland, gardens, parks, etc. where they are often seen as they fly past at quite a fast speed.  They can fly up to 50 kph or more for short burst and regularly fly over 30 kph. They are one of the fastest flying birds in this habitat, but most of this flying is in short bursts across their territory.  Sparrowhawks are recognisable by their small size, shape and colour.  Having said that, the females are larger than the males by about 25% and they have different coloured breasts.  Both the males and the females are blue / grey in colour but the male has a much brighter orange and much redder in colour.  The males are about 30 cm in length and the females from 35 to 40 cm.

They eat small prey which can be hunted including mice, and other birds, indeed Sparrowhawks can also often be seen sitting on garden fences, trees etc. particularly near to where people put feeding stations for smaller garden birds.  They patiently wait for smaller birds to come to the feeders, they can be particularly effective at this technique.

The British population is over 35,000 pairs.  They are resident across a large area of Europe throughout the year.  In Asia they migrate according to the weather.

The images below were taken in Southern Scotland, but I often see a Sparowhawk (or spar as it is often referred to) pass through my Leicestershire garden or sit and watch the feeders hoping to find a small bird to prey on for their next meal)