Immatures are brown above and creamy white below, with heavily streaked undersides. The largest of our accipiters, goshawks are seen in greatest numbers in winter, when food scarcities force many south. Goshawks breed in wooded areas and prefer wild territory, such as the mountainous areas of northern Pennsylvania. A pair often uses the same nest year after year. Identification of this species is often difficult, as large female sharp-shins are nearly the size of small male Cooper's hawks, which they closely resemble.
Adults have red eyes and are blue-gray above, with light rufous barring on the breast.
Immatures are brown above, heavily streaked below. These are small hawks with short rounded wings and a long square-tipped tail. Sharp-shins feed almost exclusively on small birds such as sparrows, warblers, vireos, etc. They fly and sail rapidly through the woods or hunt from a perch. Favored habitat is woodland, preferably coniferous, and woods edges.