Slaty-mantled Goshawk (Accipiter luteoschistaceus)

Slaty-mantled Goshawk

[order] ACCIPITRIFORMES | [family] Accipitridae | [latin] Accipiter luteoschistaceus | [authority] Rothschild and Hartert, 1926 | [UK] Slaty-mantled Goshawk | [FR] Autour bleu et gris | [DE] Rabaulhabicht | [ES] Gavilan de Nuevo Bretana | [NL] Grauwe Sperwer

Subspecies

Genus Species subspecies Region Range
Accipiter luteoschistaceus AU New Britain

Genus

Members of the genus Accipiter are small and medium-sized hawks, often called Sparrow-hawks or Goshawks. The females are almost invariably much larger than the males – in some cases weighing twice as much – a level of size dimorphism only exceptionally reached in any other genus Falconiformes. Their wings are short and rounded; the tail usually quite long. They are well adapted for flying through dense bush. Bird-catching Sparrow-hawks generally have long and slender legs, with slender digits, the middle one being especially long. Goshawks are usually larger, with shorter, thicker tarsi and digits and a shorter middle digit. Some smaller species have goshawk-like feet and vice versa, making it difficult on a world-wide basis to subdivide the genus on this or any other broad basis. Although many accipiters feed upon birds moreso than do other hawks, some species take many mammals, especially squirrels; others take lizards, frogs, snakes, insects, even snails. In these species the legs and digits are sometimes slender, but short. Accipiters are rarely crested, but some have very attractive colour patterns. Black phases are present, especially in the tropical species. One in Australia has the only pure white phase. Accipiter is the largest genus in the family, having about fifty species. It is present worldwide, but is especially rich in Papua-New Guinea, where a small island like New Britain may have three to five endemic species or distinct sub-species.

Physical charateristics

Medium-sized, pied forest hawk. Adults slaty-grey above and off-white below, with orange bare parts. Juveniles have dusky crowns and are heavily barred black on tawny upperparts and white underparts. New Britain Sparrowhawk A. brachyurus has an (often indistinct) rufous hind collar and paler yellow cere and legs. Other juvenile Accipiters in the Bismarcks are less heavily barred and Black Honey-buzzard Henicopernis infuscatus is much larger.


wingspan min.: 0 cm wingspan max.: 0 cm
size min.: 30 cm size max.: 38 cm
incubation min.: 0 days incubation max.: 0 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 0 days
broods: 0   eggs min.: 0  
      eggs max.: 0  

Range

Australasia : New Britain. Accipiter luteoschistaceus is uncommon on New Britain and Umboi with unconfirmed records from New Ireland in Papua New Guinea

Habitat

It has been recorded from a number of forest habitats including open forest and cocoa plantations, but is presumed to be a species of tall forest. It is greatly outnumbered by Grey Goshawk A. novaehollandiae in all degraded and artificial habitats. Records range to 700 m where it might be replaced by A. brachyurus.

Reproduction

No data.

Feeding habits

The only documented food items come from a specimen with a 15 cm lizard in its stomach, probably preys on reptiles and insects.

Conservation

This species is believed to have a small population which is estimated to be declining based on observed reductions in suitable habitat. Although it is little known, the paucity of records and its lowland forest requirements indicate that it is likely to be threatened. It is therefore classified as Vulnerable.
its habitat requirements are poorly known, this lowland species is probably dependent on primary forest where Variable Goshawk A. hiogaster is absent. As such, it is threatened by the extensive logging of all lowland forests across its range, it is thought that on New Britain up to 20% of habitat suitable for this species has been logged since 1993
Slaty-mantled Goshawk status Vulnerable

Migration

Sedentary

Distribution map

Slaty-mantled Goshawk distribution range map

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