The New Britain sparrowhawk (''Accipiter brachyurus'') is a

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

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 predators h ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to two

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

islands,

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

and New Ireland. Even in 1934

Ernst Mayr Ernst Walter Mayr (; 5 July 1904 – 3 February 2005) was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, Philosophy of biology, philosopher o ...

, in his survey of mountain bird life during the

Whitney South Sea Expedition The Whitney South Sea Expedition (1920 - 1941) to collect bird specimens for the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), under the initial leadership of Rollo Beck, was instigated by Dr Leonard C. Sanford and financed by Harry Payne Whitney, a ...

, found the New Britain sparrowhawk to be very rare.Mayr, E.: "Birds Collected During the Whitney South Sea Expedition. XXVIII", page 1. American Museum of Novitates, 1934

Description

These sparrowhawks are grey with a white underbelly and orange accents on the neck. They are often characterized by their large feet. They are the only hawk in New Britain or the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

that has a middle toe that is longer than the rest. The feet of the New Britain sparrowhawks are pale yellow. These small birds only grow to be 27–34 cm long.

Ecology

This species lives in tropical to subtropical, moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

. The altitudes reach 1,200 to 1,800 m. New Britain sparrowhawks nest like other birds, where they raise their young. Very little is known about this species because it is so rare and the areas in which it lives have not been thoroughly studied.IUCN
/ref>

Conservation

it is estimated that the population is only between 1,000 and 2,499 individuals. The main threat to the continued existence of this species is

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

which has led to the birds' decline in lowland forests. The clearing of forest on the small islands leaves the species with less habitat, and a far less safe environment – leading to their vulnerability. No conservation measures are known to have been taken; however it has been proposed that surveys be made to assess population size and observe nests, as well as to map the remaining forest. There are also plans to lobby for large community-based conservation areas.

References

Birdlife International Species Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q114008

New Britain sparrowhawk The New Britain sparrowhawk (''Accipiter brachyurus'') is a threatened species of bird of prey. It is endemic to two Papua New Guinea islands, New Britain and New Ireland. Even in 1934 Ernst Mayr, in his survey of mountain bird life during the ...

Birds of New Britain