Christmas goshawk | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Accipitriformes |
Family: | Accipitridae |
Genus: | Tachyspiza |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | T. f. natalis |
Trinomial name | |
Tachyspiza fasciata natalis (Lister, 1889) | |
Synonyms | |
|
The Christmas goshawk (Tachyspiza fasciata natalis) or Christmas Island goshawk is a bird of prey in the goshawk and sparrowhawk family Accipitridae. It is a threatened endemic of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the eastern Indian Ocean.
The taxon was described in 1889 by Lister as a full species, Accipiter natalis. Since then there has been debate as to whether its affinities lie with the brown goshawk or the grey goshawk (A. novaehollandiae). In the 2004 national recovery plan for the taxon it is treated as a subspecies of the brown goshawk, though the possibility has been raised of elevating it to the species level again. [1] Christidis and Boles (2008) treat it as a subspecies of the variable goshawk (A. hiogaster). [2] Here it is treated as a subspecies of the brown goshawk pending further study of its genome.
The Christmas goshawk is smaller and has more rounded wings than the nominate subspecies. Colouration is broadly similar, differing in that the hindneck, cap and ear coverts are dark grey, lacking a brown tinge. Females are distinctly larger than males. [3]
The goshawk is restricted to the 135 km2 Christmas Island where it is found in the tropical rainforest that covers 75% of the island, as well as in other habitats there such as regrowth forest and the edges of clearings. [1]
The goshawk feeds on a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates, including birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. It takes its prey from the ground or in flight. It will hunt from a perch or chase birds through the forest. [1] It is known to hunt native birds such as emerald dove, island thrush and Christmas Island white eye, as well as introduced birds including red junglefowl and Java sparrow. [4]
There is a known instance of a Christmas goshawk preying upon a 5–6 week old Abbott's booby chick on 5 September 2005, in which an adult female goshawk knocked the booby chick off its nest and caused it to fall to its death. The raptor attempted to drag its prey away but as the chick was heavier than the goshawk, she could only drag her prey about a meter away. About 20 minutes afterwards a robber crab was seen approaching the goshawk and dead chick, and after a tug-of-war lasting approximately 8 minutes the raptor retreated, allowing the robber crab to successfully steal the carcass and escape with it into a hole under a log. [4]
The goshawk is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. There are no detailed population statistics for the goshawks, though the population is small and it has been estimated that there are no more than 100 mature birds, or 50 breeding pairs, on the island. [1] The principal threat comes from yellow crazy ants which were accidentally introduced to the island. The threat is not only that of ant predation of goshawk nestlings, but also indirectly from potentially massive changes to the ecology of the island caused by the ants. [5]
The red-footed booby is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. Adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. They are found widely in the tropics, and breed colonially in coastal regions, especially isolated islands such as St. Brandon, Mauritius. The species faces few natural or man-made threats, although its population is declining; it is considered to be a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The masked booby, also called the masked gannet or the blue-faced booby, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. First described by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson in 1831, the masked booby is one of six species of booby in the genus Sula. It has a typical sulid body shape, with a long pointed yellowish bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black wings, a black tail and a dark face mask; at 75–85 cm (30–33 in) long, it is the largest species of booby. The sexes have similar plumage. This species ranges across tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific. In the latter, it is replaced by the Nazca booby, which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of masked booby.
Abbott's booby is an endangered seabird of the sulid family, which includes gannets and boobies. It is a large booby and is placed within its own monotypic genus. It was first identified from a specimen collected by William Louis Abbott, who discovered it on Assumption Island in 1892.
The brown goshawk is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
The grey goshawk is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is found in eastern and northern Australia. The white morph of this species is known as the white goshawk. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
The Christmas imperial pigeon or Christmas Island imperial pigeon, also known as Black imperial pigeon, Dusky imperial pigeon, Wharton's imperial pigeon, or burong pergam, is a large imperial pigeon endemic to Christmas Island in the northeastern Indian Ocean. It has an overall grey-blue colouration, and juveniles are duller than adults. It makes a soft purring coo sound and a deeper whoo sound comparable to a cow mooing. It lays one glossy white egg per brood, and is possibly somewhat colonial.
The chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk is a small west African species of sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Henst's goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is a large, diurnal bird endemic to the island of Madagascar. It is an obligate forest species that occurs at very low densities on the island and is rarely seen. It can only occupy the primary and secondary forests found within the island. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss within Madagascar.
The African goshawk is an African species of bird of prey in the genus Aerospiza. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
The Christmas boobook, also known as the Christmas hawk owl, Christmas Island boobook or Christmas Island hawk owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
The Christmas Island shrew, also known as the Christmas Island musk-shrew is an extremely rare or possibly extinct shrew from Christmas Island. It was variously placed as subspecies of the Asian gray shrew or the Southeast Asian shrew, but morphological differences and the large distance between the species indicate that it is an entirely distinct species.
The Macquarie shag, Macquarie Island shag or Macquarie Island cormorant, is a marine cormorant native to Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean, about halfway between Australia and Antarctica.
The Christmas island-thrush is a species of passerine in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Island thrush, but was classified as its own species in 2024 by the IOC and Clements checklist.
The Norfolk boobook, also known as the Norfolk Island boobook, Norfolk Island owl or Norfolk Island morepork, is a bird in the true owl family endemic to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. It is a subspecies of the morepork.
The Lord Howe fantail, also known as the Lord Howe Island fantail or fawn-breasted fantail, was a small bird in the fantail family, Rhipiduridae. It is an extinct subspecies of the New Zealand fantail. It was endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia.
The Christmas Island swiftlet, also known as the Christmas glossy swiftlet or the Christmas cave swiftlet, is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the eastern Indian Ocean. It was formerly commonly treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
The Christmas emerald dove, also known as the Christmas green-winged pigeon, is a bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. It is a distinctive subspecies of the common emerald dove that is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the eastern Indian Ocean.
An avivore is a specialized predator of birds, with birds making up a large proportion of its diet. Such bird-eating animals come from a range of groups.
The Eurasian goshawk is a species of medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is a widespread species that inhabits many of the temperate parts of the Eurasia. Except in a small portion of southern Asia, it is the only species of "goshawk" in its range and it is thus often referred to, both officially and unofficially, as simply goshawk. It is mainly resident, but birds from colder regions migrate south for the winter. As of 2023, goshawks found in North America are no longer considered be conspecific, but are now designated as the American goshawk.