Pennsylvania Game Commission seeks info on northern goshawks

Paul Guggenheimer | Wednesday, May 27, 2020 3:52 p.m.

File photo of a goshawk

The northern goshawk is an agile, secretive type of hawk with a long tail, gray and white body and intense orange to red eyes.

With its population declining, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking anyone who catches the rare glimpse of these large raptors or knows where they nest to share information.

It’s all part of the state game commission’s conservation action plan which identifies the goshawk as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

The project has collected reports of goshawk sightings in the state since 2017. Information about any goshawk observation should be sent to pgcgoshawk@pa.gov.

Reports are confidential to protect the birds and the species’ habitat.

The origin of the name goshawk is from the Old English word for “goose hawk,” which is based on its habit of preying on birds.

In the U.S. the birds tend to be found in the northeast and experts say to be careful about approaching a goshawk’s nest. The birds reportedly attack people and animals that approach its nest too closely.