Adults: Head, plain grey, with a slim black crest. Eye, yellow. Upperparts, chest, slate-grey. Breast, white with bold dark brown bars. Wings, uppertail, dark brown. Undertail, pale grey with dark bars and a black terminal band. Underwings have pale rufous leading edge, primaries boldy barred. Thighs, vent, pale rufous. Bill, black. Legs, grey.
Immatures: Like adult but browner above, with rusty feather margins. Upperbreast, buff. Bars on breast thinner. Undertail, strongly barred. Bill, black. Legs, grey.
Other Names (World)
Pacific Baza, Crested Hawk, Lizard Hawk, Pacific Lizard Hawk, Crested Baza, Lizard Baza
Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata) [XC173900]
by Niels Krabbe from Near Torokina, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea (call)
Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata) [XC438827]
by Marc Anderson from Mango Lagoon, Oyala-Thumotang NP, Queensland, Australia (song)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Usually October - December.
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Nest
A flimsy, shallow structure, composed of sticks, twigs and leaves, lined with leaves, usually on a horizontal limb, supported by several upright twigs, 15 - 30 meters above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3, rarely 5; plain white with blue tinge, occasionally stained and blotched, rough to fine in texture with faint sheen; rounded-oval; about 43 x 34 mm. Incubation: about 33 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 32 - 35 days.
Previously recognised subspecies proxima and robusta now included in gurneyi. Subspecies njikena of north-western Australia doubtfully separable from nominate subcristata.
The following 13 subspecies are recognised:
timorlaoensis (Meyer, AB, 1893) - Islands off Sulawesi, Lesser Sundas.
pallida (Stresemann, 1913) - Southern Moluccas.
reinwardtii (Schlegel & Müller, S, 1841) - Central Moluccas.
stresemanni (Siebers, 1930) - Buru (central Moluccas).
rufa (Schlegel, 1866) - Northern Moluccas.
waigeuensis Mayr, 1940 - Waigeo I.
obscura Junge, 1956 - Biak I.
stenozona (Gray, GR, 1858) - Western New Guinea, Aru Is.
Similar Species
Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus)
With immatures. Has finer barring on underparts. Legs longer. Lacks a crest.
Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus)
With immatures. Has finer barring on underparts. Legs longer. Lacks a crest.
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Notes
The only bird of prey in Australia that has an obvious crest. The Black-breasted Buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon) and Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus) has fine crests not always apparent.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9