Goshawk

Goshawks were driven to extinction in Wales centuries ago. They're now making a comeback.

Goshawks were highly regarded by the Norman and Saxon nobility, but the Victorians held a different view. Game keepers, poachers and egg collectors persecuted the goshawk, resulting in its disappearance from Britain by the late 1800s.

In the last 25 years this hawk has made a comeback and there are now more than 400 pairs in Wales.

Although they are very vocal, they are not easy to see as they don't fly around the canopy as much as other raptors do.

They are resident all year round, but the best time to see them is in late winter and spring when they perform display flights above the canopy. They can sometimes be seen hunting for prey - mostly crows, pigeons, magpies, jackdaws and squirrels - over open countryside.

The goshawk was once known as 'goose-hawk', perhaps because of its large size and plumage. Its current name was once used when referring to peregrines, rendering the origins of the bird we now know as the goshawk uncertain.