Eurasian Sparrowhawk

The Eurasian sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey with short, broad wings and a long tail, adaptations for manoeuvring through trees. Adult males have bluish-grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below. The female can be up to 25 percent larger than the male and twice as heavy, one of the greatest size differences between the sexes in any bird. The adult male is 29–34 centimetres long, with a wingspan of 59–64 centimetres and a mass of 110–196 grams. (Wikipedia, general species account)

A widespread species throughout the temperate and subtropical parts of the Old World, it was estimated at 1.5 million birds in 2009 and is one of the commonest birds of prey in Europe, along with the common kestrel and common buzzard. It specialises in catching woodland birds but can be found in any habitat and often hunts garden birds in towns and cities. Norwegian and Albanian populations are declining, and in parts of Europe birds are still shot, though this has not badly affected populations. (Wikipedia, general species account)