Falcon are large and the largest and bulkiest of the accipiters. They have broad, rounded wings and long tails. Relatively long secondary flight feathers give the trailing edge of the wing a curved or bulging look; the wingtips can look pointed in flight.

The northern goshawk is a medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. As a species in the genus Accipiter, the goshawk is often consider a “true hawk”.The scientific name is Latin; Accipiter is “hawk”, from accident, “to grasp”, and gentilis is “noble” or “gentle” because in the Middle Ages only the nobility was permit to fly goshawks for falconry.