The grey-headed goshawk (''Accipiter poliocephalus'') is a lightly built, medium-sized

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

in the family Accipitridae.

Description

The upperparts are grey, paler on the head and neck; the wings are dark; the underparts are mainly white; the cere and legs are red-orange. The body is 30–38 cm long; females are larger than males. Juveniles have dark brown wings.

Distribution and habitat

The grey-headed goshawk is endemic to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and adjacent islands. It has been recorded from Saibai Island, Queensland, an Australian territory in the north-western

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

. It lives in forests, forest edges and secondary growth.

Breeding

This species nests in tall trees on a platform of sticks and leaves.

Feeding

It eats small reptiles and insects.

References

* BirdLife International. (2006). Species factsheet: ''Accipiter poliocephalus''. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/12/2006 * Coates, B.J. (1985), ''The Birds of Papua New Guinea, Vol. 1, Non-Passerines''. Dove: Alderley, Queensland. * Morcombe, Michael. (2000). ''Field Guide to Australian Birds''. Steve Parish Publishing: Queensland. grey-headed goshawk Birds of prey of New Guinea grey-headed goshawk grey-headed goshawk {{Accipitriformes-stub