| Grey-headed goshawk | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Tachyspiza |
| Species: | T. poliocephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Tachyspiza poliocephala (Gray, GR, 1858) | |
The grey-headed goshawk (Tachyspiza poliocephala) is a lightly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter .
The upperparts are grey, paler on the head and neck; the wings are dark; the underparts are mainly white; the cere and legs are red-orange. The body is 30–38 cm long; females are larger than males. Juveniles have dark brown wings.
The grey-headed goshawk is endemic to New Guinea and adjacent islands. It has been recorded from Saibai Island, Queensland, an Australian territory in the north-western Torres Strait. It lives in forests, forest edges and secondary growth.
This species nests in tall trees on a platform of sticks and leaves.
It eats small reptiles and insects.
Accipiter is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. With around 50 recognized species it is the most diverse genus in its family. Most species are called goshawks or sparrowhawks, although with the exception of the American goshawk almost all New World species are simply known as "hawks". They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large procoracoid foramen and are also distinct as regards DNA sequence. They may warrant separation in the old genus Hieraspiza.
The red goshawk is probably the rarest Australian bird of prey. It is found mainly in the savanna woodlands of northern Australia, particularly near watercourses. It takes a broad range of live prey, mostly birds.
The crested goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is widely distributed in tropical Asia. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
The Levant sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey. It measures 32–38 cm (13–15 in) in length with a wingspan of 65–75 cm (26–30 in). The female is larger than the male, but the difference is not as marked as with Eurasian sparrowhawk. The adult male is blue-grey above, with dark wingtips, and barred reddish below.
The Chinese sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza soloensis) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
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 pied goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found on Bougainville Island and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
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.
The Moluccan goshawk or Halmaheran goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is endemic to Halmahera, Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
Henst's goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. 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.
The slaty-mantled goshawk, also known as the slaty-mantled sparrowhawk or slaty-backed sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
The black-mantled goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in the highlands of New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
The little sparrowhawk is a species of Afrotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is the smallest member of the genus Tachyspiza and forms a superspecies with the red-thighed sparrowhawk.
The New Britain goshawk is a bird of prey species in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
The Fiji goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be the same species (conspecific) as the brown goshawk of Australia and New Caledonia. It is endemic to Fiji, where it occurs on the larger islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau and Ovalau. It occupies a range of wooded habitats in Fiji, from natural rainforest to coconut plantations and urban gardens and parks.
The African goshawk is an African species of bird of prey in the genus Aerospiza. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Poliocephalus and its counterparts poliocephala and poliocephalum are Greek words meaning 'grey-headed'. Poliocephalus is the name for a genus of grebes, while Poliocephala is the name for a genus of flies. The two words are often used as the second word of a binomial name.
The variable goshawk is a bird of prey native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It was recently elevated to species status, and was previously lumped together with the grey goshawk. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Tachyspiza is a genus containing goshawks and sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae. The species were formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
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