White-browed hawk
| White-browed hawk | ||||||||||
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White- browed goshawk ( Accipiter novaehollandiae ), gray morph |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Accipiter novaehollandiae | ||||||||||
| ( JF Gmelin , 1788) |
The Gray Goshawk ( Accipiter novaehollandiae ), more rarely Neuhollandhabicht or lizards hawk called, is a bird of prey art in the woods in the north and east of Australia . Within the species a gray morph is distinguished from a very conspicuous white morph .
description
The white-browed hawk is a typical, large representative of the genus Accipiter with relatively short, round wings, a long tail and relatively long legs. The body length of the white-browed hawk is given as 44 to 55 cm, the wing span is 72 to 101 cm. The species shows a very pronounced reverse sexual dimorphism , males only reach 65% of the body size of females.
The white-browed hawk shows a gray and a very conspicuous white morph. The plumage of the gray morph is blue-gray to light blue-gray on the head, back and the upper side of the wings and white on the entire underside, only on the chest there are fine, dark transverse bands. The legs are also feathered white. The German name refers to the fine white brows. The white morph is completely white. Both color variants have reddish-orange to dark red eyes and yellow legs and feet.
The young birds of the gray morph have a brown iris , a brownish neck, a somewhat coarser chest banding and a joint that is also banded on the top. The young birds of the white morph can only be distinguished from adults by the brown iris.
The courtship and territory calls of the white -browed hawk sound like a series of somewhat nasal, shrill whistles ( kuwit-kuwit or kluuii-kluuii ).
distribution and habitat
White-browed hawk is found in forests, rainforests , rivers and forest edges in the northern, northeastern, eastern and southeastern coastal regions of Australia . They are also found in Tasmania .
Systematics
The species status of this species and the number of subspecies have long been controversial, today no subspecies are recognized. The A. n. Leucosomus and A. n. Griseogularis , which used to be regarded as subspecies of the white- browed hawk, are now mostly separated as separate species ( A. leucosomus or A. griseogularis ).
nutrition
Small to medium-sized birds dominate the food spectrum , especially pigeons , cockatoos , parakeets and chicken birds . Small mammals , snakes , lizards , frogs , large insects and, very rarely, crabs and carrion are also used. The prey is struck in the fast short-haul flight from hidden waiting areas on the ground or in the trees. Females prey on larger prey than smaller males.
Reproduction
As far as known, white-browed hawks live in monogamous permanent marriage in the area. The breeding seasons are very different from region to region. The white-browed hawks breed in the southeast of Australia from September to February, in the north from May to November / December. The relatively small nest is around 50–60 cm in diameter and around 35 cm high. It is built from twigs and branches at a height of 9 to 35 m by females and males and greened with leaves. The nesting takes place on a side branch or in the central fork of the trunk, preferably in eucalyptus trees. It takes the couple six to eight weeks to build a nest, and the nest is usually used several times.
The female lays two to four white to bluish or greenish eggs that are spotted red to brown-purple. The eggs are hatched by the female alone in 31–34 days. The male brings food to the young birds and the female, but the young birds are only fed by the female. About three weeks after hatching, the female takes part in the foraging for food. After about six weeks, the young birds are fully fledged, they are then looked after for another 5–6 weeks.
Existence and endangerment
There is no reliable information about the world population , the IUCN gives 10,000–100,000 individuals as a rough estimate. Despite regional population declines, the IUCN classifies the species as harmless overall.
literature
- James Ferguson-Lees , David A. Christie: Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London 2001, ISBN 0-7136-8026-1 .
Web links
- Accipiter novaehollandiae in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 10 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Accipiter novaehollandiae in the Internet Bird Collection