Goshawk or Sparrowhawk??

[dave culley]

H all

every picture uploaded here are female sparrowhawks,Picidae the pic you uploaded of Steves are both females not male/female all breeding goshawk females are on nests now incubating eggs, so not a great deal females flying around,not sure when your pics taken.

you will see in this clip the male a lot smaller and orange chest /slate grey back and orange eyes not yellow.

Regards Dave. GETTING CLOSE TO NATURE on Vimeo

[Acipiter]

Eye colour "can be variable" between m/female,adult males can have yellow eyes. And adult females can have orange eyes. Although as you say, males have mostly orange and female mostly yellow, although again the eye colour does change through out their life.

[dave culley]

Hi acipiter

yes i agree eye color changes with maturity,some aviary kept spars dont change to orange if fed on dayold chicks all the time,untill fed on wild birds then they change colour.

spars first born with black eyes,then jade green then yellow and orange as they age.

Regards Dave