How to Draw a Northern Goshawk

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Northern Goshawk in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Northern Goshawk.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Northern Goshawk - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Begin by drawing the outline of the head and beak

Step 2: Draw the face and eye one section at a time. Draw a small circle for the eye and then the pieces around it. Draw a line seaparating a beak and then another line separating the top and bottom parts of the beak

Step 3: Draw the body with two lines on each side of the body

Step 4: Draw a big wing on its side that starts in the center of the head and fills in the gaps between the two lines of the body

Step 5: Draw some lines to make feathers on the wing. Some of the lines are curved, some are straight, and some are arched. Copy the picture exactly

Step 6: Draw a tail by making a long traingle with a rounded point coming from the back of the body

Step 7: To finish, draw a leg and a foot. Make small lines coming out of each toe to make claws

Interesting Facts about Northern Goshawks

Northern Goshawks are predatory birds. They hunt small animals like rats, rabbits, mice, and other small birds. They live in North America, Europe, and Asia. They like really old forests and tend to keep to themselves. Northern Goshawks are very strong looking, so much so that many cultures viewed them as symbols of strength. The have rounded wings and long tail feathers. Their heads have black caps and their bellies are gray. Their backs are normally a darker gray.

Did you know?

  • The name Goshawk comes from the Old English name “Goose Hawk.”
  • Northern Goshawks will mate for life. They come back to their nesting ground in March and April and take turns taking care of their eggs. Goshawks are very protective of their nests.
  • Northern Goshawks can live to be 19 years old.
  • A common bird used for “Falconry” an old hunting practice. Hunters use to train birds like Goshawks to go out and fetch prey (like rabbits, pigeons, and squirrels) then bring it back to them so they could cook it for supper. A lot of old stories (like fairy tales) talk about Falconry or some called it “Hawking.”
  • Attila the Hun (a famous warlord) wore the image of a Goshawk on his helmet.

Theme: Since Northern Goshawks were popular in Falconry use the bird as a cross over subject in English (classic literature describing the hunting), Math (example: “If Henry sends out his Goshawk twice a day and each time the bird brings back a rabbit; how many rabbits will Henry have in a week?”), and Science.

">