any bird of the genus Accipiter, largest genus of the birds of prey, consisting of about 50 species of falconiform birds, or “bird” hawks, of the family Accipitridae. Sometimes accipiters are referred to as the “true” hawks. They have broad, short wings and comparatively long legs and tail. They range in size from the little sparrowhawk (A. minullus) of Africa, slightly larger than a thrush, to the northern goshawk (A. gentilis), about 60 centimetres (2 feet) long.