Brown Goshawks
Birds of Prey ... The Sport of Falconry
The Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands.
Description
Its upperparts are grey with a chestnut collar; its underparts are mainly rufous, finely barred with white. Thus it has similar colouring to the Collared Sparrowhawk but is larger.
The flight is fast and flexible.
The body length is 40–55 cm; the wingspan, 75–95 cm. Adult males weigh 220 g, and adult females, 355 g. Females are noticeably larger.
Distribution and habitat
The Brown Goshawk is widespread through Australia, Tasmania, Wallacea, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. It is found in forests and woodlands.
Feeding
It eats mainly birds; also small mammals, reptiles, amphibians; occasionally insects.
Breeding
It nests in tall trees on a platform of sticks and twigs lined with green leaves.
The clutch size is usually 3, sometimes 2 or 4. The incubation period is about 30 days, with chicks fledging about 31 days after hatching.
References
- BirdLife International (2008). Accipiter fasciatus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 19 February 2009.
- BirdLife International. (2006). Species factsheet: Accipiter fasciatus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/12/2006
- Marchant, S.; & Higgins, P.J. (Eds). (1993). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol,2: Raptors to Lapwings. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553069-1
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