Brown Goshawk
| Brown Goshawk | |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.) |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Accipiter |
| Species: | A. fasciatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Accipiter fasciatus (Vigors and Horsfield, 1827) |
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The Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands.
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[edit] 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 (15.7–21.7 in); the wingspan, 75–95 cm (29.5–37.4 in). Females are noticeably larger: adult males weigh 220 g (7.8 oz), and adult females, 355 g (12.5 oz).
[edit] 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.
[edit] Feeding
It eats mainly birds; also small mammals, reptiles, amphibians; occasionally insects.
[edit] Breeding
It nests in tall trees on a platform of sticks and twigs lined with green leaves. The clutch size is usually three, sometimes two or four. The incubation period is about 30 days, with chicks fledging about 31 days after hatching.
[edit] Subspecies
There are twelve described subspecies:
- A. f. fasciatus (nominate) - (Vigors et Horsfield, 1827)
- A. f. buruensis - Stresemann, 1914
- A. f. didimus - (Mathews, 1912)
- A. f. dogwa - Rand, 1941
- A. f. helmayri - Stresemann, 1922
- A. f. natalis - (Lister, 1889)
- A. f. polycryptus - Rothschild et Hartert, 1915
- A. f. savu - Mayr, 1941
- A. f. stresemanni - Rensch, 1931
- A. f. tjendanae - Stresemann, 1925
- A. f. vigilax - (Wetmore, 1926)
- A. f. wallacii - (Sharpe, 1874)
[edit] References
- ^ BirdLife International (2008). Accipiter fasciatus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 19 February 2009.
- ^ Biolib.cz
- 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. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195530691.
