[ak-sip-i-ter] 
| a hawk of the genus Accipiter, having short, rounded wings and a long tail and feeding chiefly on small mammals and birds. |
| ac·cip·i·ter (āk-sĭp'ĭ-tər) n. A hawk of the genus Accipiter, characterized by short wings and a long tail. [Latin, hawk; see ōku- in Indo-European roots.] ac·cip'i·trine' (-trīn', -trĭn) adj. |
accipiter
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.
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