Barry Kent MacKayArt by Barry Kent MacKay
An All-Creatures.org
Art and Photo Presentation

In this section are copies of original works of art. All of them are dedicated to helping us live according to unconditional love and compassion, which is the foundation of our peaceful means of bringing true and lasting peace to all of God's creatures, whether they are human beings or other animals.

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus)


Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus)
(Artwork - 094)
Northern Goshawk
(Accipiter gentilis atricapillus)

The North American race of the Northern Goshawk is distinctly different from other races, with pale gray, very fine and variable barring on the underparts, a bright red iris in the eye of the adult and the distinctive dark cap, a dark blue-grey, almost black. As is true of raptors generally, there is quite a bit of individual variation.

But like the others it is a forest bird and specializes on preying on birds, and medium small mammals. Here in Ontario, Canada, red squirrels are often preyed upon, but I portrayed this bird just after capturing a female Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis).

The patron who ordered this painting wanted the bird, found in boreal and mountainous forest regions, on a rock outcropping. They normally don’t perch in such places, but might if they had just captured prey, so I showed the bird with an obviously freshly taken grouse. The hawk is a male.

Northern Goshawk’s breeding range, in North America, is from Alaska to Newfoundland, and south, in the east, into the New England states, and, in the mountains of the west, into Mexico. Although you can find them in the coldest boreal forest in the dead of winter, with temperatures down below 30 degrees C., they are somewhat migratory, so that there are no provinces and territories in Canada or northern contiguous U.S. states where they can’t be encountered in winter, so long as there are trees or forests.

The painting is in acrylics, on compressed hardboard, and is approximately life-size.

arrow-previousPrevious | Art by Barry Kent MacKay | Nextarrow-next

Copyright © Barry Kent MacKay
Barry describes himself as a Canadian artist/writer/naturalist.
See his website:

Return to Art by Barry Kent MacKay
Return to Art By Various Artists
Return to Art and Photo Journals and Galleries