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Heavily-built gray raptor with orange barring on chest and belly.
Not listed
Indigenous: Wandarra, Maliwidiwidi, Malawœrdœwœrdœ, Tedulok, Garrkkany, Kaargany, Garrkany, Malwidiwidi, A-Malwirdiwirdi, Dididi, Garrgany, Jiginok, Grey-Headed Goshawk, Goshawk, Australian Goshawk, Western Goshawk, Chicken-Hawk
At a glance
FamilyHawks, Eagles, and Kites
SizeGiant
RarityCommon
HabitatOpen country, coast, woodland edge, river corridors, and thermal-rich skies over fields or ridgelines.
Best timeReported across most months in Victoria, with no narrow seasonal peak.
Range map
Range map
7535visible hotspots
125192visible records
6states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
When soaring, tail-tip is usually rounded. At a distance, appears pale gray from below, with darker wing-tips. When perched, look for heavy brow, large bill, and heavy legs. Immature has dark streaks on chest. Relatively common; pairs often circle high in the sky.
Behavior
Smaller prey such as finches, pipits and fairy-wrens are also preyed on, right up to birds the size of domestic fowls and even large, aggressive birds such as currawongs and kookaburras. The main methods of catching prey are still-hunting, by which the goshawk waits on a hidden perch until prey comes within striking distance, and flying through undergrowth attempting to flush out small prey.
Gallery