Wednesday, March 21, 2012

>Accipiter poliocephalus (Grey-headed Goshawk)

Grey-headed Goshawk



Grey-headed Goshawk
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.)
Family:Accipitridae
Genus:Accipiter
Species:A. poliocephalus
Binomial name
Accipiter poliocephalus
(Gray, 1858)
The Grey-headed GoshawkAccipiter poliocephalus, is a lightly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

Identification

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.

Range

The Grey Goshawk is endemic to New Guinea and adjacent islands. It has been recorded from Saibai Island, QueenslandAustralian territory in north-western Torres Strait.

Habitat

It lives in forests, forest edges and secondary growth.

Food

It eats small reptiles and insects.

Nesting

This species nests in tall trees on a platform of sticks and leaves.

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