Zes-legsel bij een Havik Accipiter gentilis

For the first time since the start of quantitative raptor research in the province of Drenthe a clutch with six eggs was found in the Goshawk (photo 1). Both parents were in first year plumage. Considering the slight variation in egg dimensions, it is thought that all eggs were laid by the same female. Three young eventually fledged. Clutches of six eggs are extremely scarce in the Goshawk, with only two cases so far in The Netherlands (table 1, photo 2) and three other cases in the rest of Europe (table 1). No geographical variation in clutch size was found in Europe.