Sparrowhawks have colonised urban areas following prey species, facing novel hazards including window strikes, cat encounters, and rodenticide secondary poisoning.
Sparrowhawks striking windows at high speed during prey pursuits suffer acute traumatic injury ranging from concussion to fatal skull fractures. Birds that recover from window strikes may have lasting neurological impairment affecting hunting ability. Secondary poisoning from rodenticides consumed by their bird and mammal prey accumulates in tissues causing haemorrhage. Juvenile sparrowhawks on their first winter are particularly vulnerable to starvation and collision mortality. Urban sparrowhawks provide important ecosystem services by controlling garden bird populations but face elevated human-associated mortality risks.