This Rare Bird of Prey Has Been Elusive in Central Aus for 30 Years – Until Now

 

The Red Goshawk is Australia’s rarest bird of prey and it’s just been photographed for the first time in Central Australia in 30 years. The bird was spotted west of Alice Springs, living in the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary on Ngalia Walpiri and Luritja Country.

A Chance Encounter

Dr Henderson from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) sanctuary was radio-tracking possums in the northern part of the sanctuary in late January when he spotted the bird.

‘I saw this large, reddish-brown bird of prey flying overhead, which looked different to any species I’d expect to see out here’, he said.

Red Goshawk in flight

Luckily, Dr Henderson had his camera and took a few photos before the bird flew away. After reviewing the images with experts, including Dr Rich Seaton of Birdlife Australia, it was confirmed that the photos were of the endangered Red Goshawk. A few days later the bird was photographed again at a nearby wetland, confirming the existence of the species in Central Australia.

Blue Lagoon at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, NT

A Most Beautiful Bird

The Red Goshawk is a unique-looking bird of prey and was listed as federally endangered in 2023.

Dr Seaton says, ‘It has beautiful, barred plumage; long, broad wings with finger-like feathers; and big feet and talons for hunting other birds’.

It’s an ambush predator, meaning it sits in tree branches underneath the canopy and waits for other birds to pass by before chasing them down to devour.

The Red Goshawk is a fierce bird of prey

The Red Goshawk has historically been found in open woodlands and forests from NSW through much of Queensland, and from the Northern Territory to the Kimberley in Western Australia. However, the bird has been wiped out of at least 34% of its original range, mostly due to habitat loss in south-eastern Australia. Altered fire regimes have also affected numbers as this has changed the structure of woodlands, making them more dense and harder to hunt in.

Researchers at the University of Queensland have tracked the Red Goshawk, discovering the bird undertakes long-distance flights into arid and semi-arid zones, sometimes travelling for months over 1500km from breeding territories on Cape York Peninsula, into western Queensland and the Northern Territory.

The bird has been located at several other AWC sanctuaries and partnership sites across northern Australia, including Piccaninny Plains at Cape York and Mornington and in Wilinggin Country in the Kimberley.

Images thanks to Tim Henderson AWC