Hawks are a group of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey of the familyAccipitridae. Hawks are widely distributed and vary greatly in size.
The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily are mainly woodland birds with long tails and high visual acuity. They hunt by dashing suddenly from a concealed perch.
In the Americas, members of the Buteo group are also called hawks; this group are called buzzards in other parts of the world. Generally, buteos have broad wings and sturdy builds. They are relatively larger-winged, shorter-tailed and fly further distances in open areas than accipiters. Buteos descend or pounce on their prey rather than hunting in a fast horizontal pursuit.
The terms accipitrine hawk and buteonine hawk are used to distinguish between the types in regions where hawk applies to both.
