“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?” Job 39:26
There is a wide variety of hawks in several countries of the world. The goshawk (or goose-hawk) got its name because at one time it was noted for killing geese bigger than itself. It is only about two feet long and a bold hunter. Mice are one of its most frequent catches. Its home is often in dense forests, both in Canada and the northern United States.
The eastern goshawk is the most common of the three species in North America and spends most of its time hunting birds and small animals. One feature that helps its hunting is that its short wingspan enables it to fly through dense forests that most other birds avoid.
It has short, rounded wings and a long tail that enable it to twist and dart at lightning speed, changing direction instantly when pursuing small animals or other birds. It likes to nest high in a tree where it may watch for prey or unwelcome creatures approaching. It shows no fear of any bird or animal or even people.
The goshawk’s appearance gives a clue to its fierceness. Feathers are black, gray and white, and its round, orange eyes with black pupils add terror to those who get a look at them. Legs are heavily feathered with strong claws on the feet. This predator’s face is centered with a short, hooked, black beak, from which small victims it has captured frequently dangle as they are being flown home to feed pure-white chicks. They are always hungry for more.
The mother is a most vicious defender when little ones are in her care and will quickly attack anything approaching that she thinks is a threat to them. The father is more satisfied to make threatening screams that sound cruel enough to send intruders away in a hurry.
The father is good at capturing food for both the mother and chicks. When bringing food, perhaps a pigeon, he makes a clicking signal a short way from the nest. The mother bird hears this and flies out to snatch the food from his beak. Sometimes, while she is still flying below him, he will drop it, and she always catches the prey as he goes back to find more food for the brood.
Hawks were peaceable birds until Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. Sin resulted in upsetting all living things, as this short account of goshawks has brought to our attention. So hawks are mentioned in the Bible as “unclean” birds, which meant they were not to be eaten by the people of Israel. Also, when God spoke to Job about some of the wonders of creation, He asked Job the question in the Bible verse at the opening of this article. He wanted Job to think about these wonders and remember God’s wisdom and power. And we should remember them too.
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