Rare to very rare. Sedentary, dispersive or part-migratory, moving to northern Australia in the fall - winter, and toward the coasts or wetter areas in drought.
Habitat
Open plains, semi-desert and lightly timbered country or mountain ranges. Generally confined to arid regions.
Nest
Large, loosely built of sticks and twigs, lined with soft bark or wool, generally placed at the top of a tall tree. Often the adandoned nest of another hawk is used.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 4, usually 3; pink-buff, heavily spotted with red-brown; blunt-oval; about 51 x 37 mm. Incubation: 32 - 35 days; by female.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 42 - 45 days.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Grey Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae)
Grey morph. Grey above and whitish below. Has short, rounded wings. Has a longish tail and long legs.
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