Raptor in garden

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hsyr
hsyr's picture
Raptor in garden

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if you could help me identify this raptor I saw in my garden today (in S.A). It spent over an hour there, feeding on a small bird.

I was thinking maybe Brown Goshawk or Collared Sparrowhawk but I haven't got a lot of experience in identifying birds so your help would be much appreciated!

Woko
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Gosh, hsyr, the brown goshawk & collared sparrow hawk are difficult to tell apart at times. What I think you have here is a young collared sparrow hawk. The eye isn't as hooded as that of the brown goshawk & the verticle bars on the throat & chest make it a juvenile. Other posters might have a different opinion. Roughly where in SA is your garden, by the way? I believe collared sparrow hawks bred in or near the North Adelaide Golf Course some years ago.

hsyr
hsyr's picture

I was wondering about those vertical bars, thanks!

I read the factsheet on here about brown goshawks and it said they tend to carry their prey to a branch to feed, whereas this one spent at least an hour feeding on the ground in the open. Would that be more typical behaviour of the sparrowhawk?

I live in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, on quite a busy road.

Woko
Woko's picture

I've seen a brown goshawk feeding on a New Holland honeyeater while perched on a tree branch but I can't recall having seen either the brown goshawk or collared sparrowhawk feeding on the ground. However, I've encountered feathers under a number of trees at our place as well as rabbit fur in the open. I understand that brown goshawks eat rabbits so the rabbit fur in the open may have been due to brown goshawk predation but I couldn't be certain about this as we do have occasional foxes. The feathers under the trees could be due to either species, I suppose. I'm happy to be guided by the fact sheets.

I'm rather fascinated to hear of your location. Some years ago I saw a brown goshawk flying directly up a street near Burnside Town Hall with nary a native plant in sight. And I'm aware of collared sparrowhawks breeding near North Adelaide Golf Course although there are Eucalypts in that area. Perhaps both species have adapted to some degree to suburban conditions.

darinnightowl
darinnightowl's picture

Hi hsyr. Woko is right about immature goshawks been difficult to tell apart ,But any way how good is that for it to stop and eat in your back yard.Do you no what kind of small bird it was by the feather left behind .
Nightowl

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

hsyr
hsyr's picture

Our garden is mainly just full of fruit trees but right next to the fence in the neighbour's yard is a huge eucalypt which is frequented by native birds. The most common visitors to our garden are sparrows and honeyeaters. Not a surprise that neither was in sight the whole time the sparrowhawk/goshawk was there! Though I did hear some "nervous" twittering from the trees!

I had a fantastic view through my kitchen window so was able to stand there for ages filming and taking pictures.

This is the mess it left behind under our apple tree:

Woko
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Looks like a lot of apricot leaves among the carnage, hsyr. Hope both you & the collared sparrowhawk enjoyed the crop!

hsyr
hsyr's picture

Yep, there's an apricot tree right next to there. We only moved into this house a couple months ago so unfortunately haven't had any apricots yet but we've had grapefruits and mandarins so far. Lemons are starting to ripen, too smiley

Windhover
Windhover's picture

Without seeing size, shape of tail and wings (in flight) relative to body size I cannot be sure. The first photo has more goshawk look, but the second more sparrowhawk. The SH eye is really rounded and looks almost like a surprised appearance, which I can kind of see in the second photo. The first appears to have the distinct (cranky looking) eye brow ridge that is a goshawk feature. Unless I physically see this bird I cannot be 100% certain. My best guess is sparrowhawk just by looking at it here.

ScottTas
ScottTas's picture

Windhover is the expert.

My '2 cents worth' would be for Collared Sparrowhawk also. Size can definitely help - I saw a Sparrhowhawk in rural Vic recently (will post photos soon) - and I'm guessing he was a male, because he was barely bigger than Rosella sized (in fact that's what I thought he was from his silhouette in flight at first). I still think your bird looks more surprised than cranky, so pencil in Sparrowhawk I reckon.

Cheers,

Scott.

hsyr
hsyr's picture

Hi everyone,

3 months later and our friendly neighbourhood sparrowhawk(?) has claimed another victim in our garden! Again, plucking and feeding on the ground out in the open. Prey looked to be a magpie-lark, based on the feathers left behind. Unfortunately didn't get a photo of the bird this time, which is a disappointment as it was closer than last time.

Interestingly, I noticed it getting swooped and harassed by a little bird when it flew off with the carcass. Not sure how normal that is but thought I'd mention it anyway :)

darinnightowl
darinnightowl's picture

Like I said before lucky you. Yes that is normal for other birds ( honeyeaters size ) to mob a raptor when it's talons have prey, when you think about , it's very hard to catch prey in the first place so it not going to drop what it just caught .

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

Woko
Woko's picture

Great to hear that the collared sparrow hawk is still about the place, hsyr.

Ubute
Ubute's picture

Hi Folks,

I'm new to BinB and I'm greatly enjoying exploring this site.

I live at Henley Beach in Adelaide, one street back from the sea, and Brown Goshawks, and/or Collared Sparrowhawks visit our garden frequently, sometimes daily. Here are a few pictures taken over the last few years.

Our garden has the heaviest tree cover in the district, and they particularly like our big camphor laurel, right by the back door. The New Holland Honeyeaters always tell me when one's there. They feed on a large horizontal branch about 4m up, and I've never seen them eat anything but spotted turtledoves. I see them with and without prey, but I've never witnessed a kill.

We have two Border Terriers and at first I thought the occasional dead dove was their work, as I once saw them catch one. But one day we came home from holidays when he dogs had also been away, and there was a hawk feeding on the ground. I've since seen this several times, even when the dogs are home. I've got quite a long video of a ground feeding hawk which I'll cut down and post.

A few days ago the honeyeaters called me out and there was a dead, unplucked turtledove on the ground in a narrow space, a metre wide, between the house and the outside laundry. The culprit was sitting in the tree, but flew off when I looked at it. I left the dove on the concrete and took the dogs for a walk. When we came home, the dove was gone.

Today's Sparrow/Goshawk was very unusual. It had large, irregular white spots on its back (or folded wings); pure white, as if there was some pigment defect. I couldn't get a photo because it was particularly shy and flew off as soon as I caught its eye.

I think I've identified both Gos and Sparrow, but I'm far from expert. With only middle toes, the shape of the tail and the very subjective "stare or glare" to go by, I can't be sure. I've seen juveniles and adults, but never a noticably small one (male sparrow).

Some hawks are bolder than others, and will stay and feed even if I stand openly below the tree and watch them. I've even set up tripods and invited friends to watch. Others get very nervous as I come out, but they usually only fly off when I make eye contact. If I sort of look at them sideways I can usually watch longer. They will also stay if they can't see me, like if their head is behind a leaf, even though they know I'm there! It's the eye contact that matters.

pacman
pacman's picture

wow, great to have BoP visitors

Peter

Woko
Woko's picture

And great that they're predating the spotted turtle doves, an introduced species.

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