Crested Goshawk
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| Crested Goshawk | ||||||||||||||
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| Accipiter trivirgatus (Temminck, 1824) |
The Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers.
Crested Goshawk breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree and lays two or three eggs.
This raptor has short broad wings and a long tail, both adaptations to manoeuvring through trees. It is 30-46cm in length, with the female much larger than the male. The larger size and a short crest are the best distinctions from its relative, the Besra, Accipiter virgatus.
The male has a dark brown crown, grey head sides and black moustachial and throat stripes. The pale underparts are patterned with rufous streaks on the breast and bars on the belly.
The larger female has a browner head and brown underpart streaks and bars. The juvenile has pale fringes to its head feathers, and the underpart background colour is buff rather than white.
The flight is a characteristic "slow flap, slow flap, straight glide" similar to other Accipiter species such as Northern Goshawk. Like its relatives, this secretive forest bird hunts birds, mammals and reptiles in woodland, relying on surprise as it flies from a perch to catch its prey unaware.
Reference
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6