What does accipiter mean?
An accipiter is a hawk belonging to the genus Accipiter, a group of birds of prey characterised by short, broad wings and a long tail — a body plan perfectly suited to agile flight through dense woodland. Familiar members include the northern goshawk, the Eurasian sparrowhawk, and the American sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks. Unlike falcons, which pursue prey in open sky with blistering speed, accipiters are ambush hunters that weave through trees to surprise smaller birds at close range. The word derives directly from the Latin accipiter, meaning hawk, and survives today mainly in ornithological and falconry contexts, where precision about hawk types matters. In casual conversation the simpler term "hawk" prevails, but among birders and scientists "accipiter" signals a specific and much-admired lineage of forest raptors.
nounA hawk of the genus Accipiter, a group of birds of prey with short broad wings and long tails adapted for hunting in woodland, including the goshawk and sparrowhawk. More broadly, any hawk or bird of prey.
- Any hawk belonging to the genus Accipiter, comprising short-winged, long-tailed birds of prey such as the goshawk and sparrowhawk that hunt other birds in wooded habitats.
- In older or general usage, a hawk or bird of prey more broadly.
"The sharp-shinned hawk is a classic North American accipiter, darting through dense forest in pursuit of small birds."
"Ornithologists distinguish the accipiters, with their broad wings and long tails, from the falcons and buteos by their specialised woodland hunting style."
"Watching an accipiter thread at speed between the trees, one understands why falconers prized these birds above all others."
The anglicized plural "accipiters" is standard in general writing; the Latinate "accipitres" appears in formal ornithological literature.
"During the autumn migration count, dozens of accipiters passed over the ridge in a single morning."
The word 'accipiter' comes straight from the Latin for 'hawk' — and it's so old that the Romans were using it to describe the very same forest-hunting hawks we still call by that name today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accipiter
The English word accipiter was borrowed directly from Latin accipiter, meaning "hawk" or "bird of prey," a noun the Romans themselves used for their woodland hawks. Its ultimate root is generally connected to the Latin verb accipere, "to seize or take," reflecting the bird's predatory habits. From the same Latin source come the adjective accipitrine, meaning hawk-like, and the broader term accipitral. The word entered English usage through natural-history writing, where it now serves as both a common noun for these hawks and the formal scientific genus name.
Related word forms
How accipiter is actually used
"Accipiter" is a technical term used chiefly in ornithology, falconry, and scientific writing; in everyday speech people simply say "hawk" or name the specific species. When capitalized as Accipiter it denotes the formal taxonomic genus. The plural is either the anglicized "accipiters" or the Latinate "accipitres" in scholarly contexts.
Easily confused with accipiter
An accipiter is a short-winged, long-tailed woodland hawk of the genus Accipiter, whereas a falcon belongs to a different family (Falconidae) with long pointed wings built for speed in open flight.