What kind of bird of prey is this?

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eagle
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What kind of bird of prey is this?

Could anyone tell me what species of raptor this is. I think it might be an immature brown goshawk but i am not sure. Here are images of the bird.

Tassie

Yep looks like a Brown Goshawk to me Eagle, the young ones have brown eye colour that changes to yellow in between the ages of 70 days to 3 months old.
Cheers mate.

eagle
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Thanks for the id Tassie.

ed
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Hi eagle
Difficult to see on these images but that middle toe looks a good bit longer than the others, could be a Collared Sparrowhawk?

Ed Townsville NQ

eagle
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yeah i now think that it is a collared sparrow hawk because it has a square tail.

eagle
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Thanks Ed. I think it is a collared sparrowhawk.

eagle
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Here is a better picture.

DenisWilson
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Hi Eagle
It is very hard to determine. I have downloaded your latest image, and the second and third images, and lightened them all considerably, and still cannot be absolutely certain.
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May I suggest that you check out the images for both species which show up from this link, on the COG Gallery.
http://photogallery.canberrabirds.org.au/raptors.htm#BRGH
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I agree with Ed that it does appear to have a long middle toe. But is it long enough? Look at this image, to realise why I ask the question.
http://photogallery.canberrabirds.org.au/images/Sparrowhawk_Collared2_Howarth.jpg
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I am inclined to think it might be an immature female Sparrowhawk. It certainly isn't a male - which is scarcely larger than a Red Wattlebird.
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The square cut or rounded tail really only shows up for sure in flight. Mind you, there is a Goshawk juvenile, seen from the rear, which does appear to have long centre tail feathers.
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What makes me most inclined to say Sparrowhawk is the lack of a prominent eyebrow - it is more round-headed than some images of Goshawks.
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Ultimately, the hardest thing to estimate in a photo is bulk.
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In the COG Gallery there is a juvenile Sparrowhawk on a "kill" which has a head looking very similar to your bird. Have a look at that one in particular.
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Ultimately, it comes down to deciding if the bird was "chunky " or not. Look closely at the thickness of the legs (heavy set, or fine), the shape of the head (prominent brow or not) and also the relative fineness of the beak.
The best I can suggest (for myself) is juvenile female Sparrowhawk - at about 60% probability.
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While on the COG page, check out two of the photos of the Goshawk by Geoffrey Dabb - being attacked by a Willy Wagtail. Images 3 and 6 on that Gallery page. Great action shots, and I love the way the Goshawk is squarking!
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Cheers
Denis

eagle
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Thanks Denis. Here is another photo that shows a squared tail on the bird.

IMG]http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/birds_01/DSCF0736.jpg[/IMG]

eagle
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Sorry i'll try again.

eagle
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Here is the same image but showing the full tail.

DenisWilson
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Hi Eagle
That's a more diagnostic image.
I'd confidently declare it a Sparrowhawk, based on that tail.
Did you notice it is holding a "kill" in its right foot? Almost certainly a bird (seems to be feathered).
Cheers
Denis

eagle
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Thanks for the identification Denis.

eagle
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oh yeah and good spot. I didn't notice the kill before you told me.

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