Rare winter sparrowhawk spotted in Novosibirsk eating prey

A bird of prey rarely seen in Siberia during winter has been captured on video in Novosibirsk, where a local resident filmed it consuming its catch.

Mar 3, 2026

The sparrowhawk is seen eating its prey while perched on a tree branch.
Source:
NGS reader

A Eurasian sparrowhawk was spotted in Novosibirsk — this bird is rarely seen in Siberia in winter. A reader of NGS sent in a video of the predator. A local resident captured the hawk eating its prey.

A local observer points out an unusual increase in the number of hawks in the city this winter.

Источник:

NGS reader

«Hawks have taken a firm hold in our city this winter,» she noted.

Ornithologist Aleksei Yanovsky, in a conversation with NGS, noted that the bird is indeed not often seen in Novosibirsk in winter. According to him, Eurasian sparrowhawks fly to warm regions, and in Siberia they are usually seen from April to October. However, some individuals may remain in the city even in winter — attracted by potential prey.

«This winter, flocks of wintering waxwings and thrushes, although not too numerous in Novosibirsk, are distributed quite evenly across different districts in accordance with the availability of rowan and hawthorn berries, as well as the small fruits of ranetki (a type of small apple),» the expert explained.

According to Aleksei Yanovsky, the predators will leave the city in the near future, following the fieldfares and waxwings — they will head south in search of food.

In mid-January, Novosibirsk was taken over by waxwings.