Henst's Goshawk
Astur henstii
A big, powerful goshawk. Adults are gray on the back with fine gray barring below; females much larger. Immatures have a brown back and thick streaks below. Endemic to Madagascar, where it is a scarce resident of all types of primary forest. Rarely sits in the open, and only occasionally soars. Territorial call is a loud repeated “khew” which is often given in flight. Males can be very hard to separate from similarly-sized female Madagascar Sparrowhawk. On Henst’s, look for fine bars on the undertail, a completely barred throat, and a central toe of normal length. Immatures may only be separable based on toe length. Also very similar to the rare Madagascar Serpent-Eagle. Subtle differences include slightly smaller size, evenly-spaced barring on the chest, thicker black bands on the tail, and an unbarred back.
识别特征
Henst's goshawk is a large forest raptor with a body length of 52 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in). The wingspan is between 86 and 100 cm (34 and 39 in). There is a notable size discrepancy between males and females, with males weighing 609 g (1.343 lb) on average and the larger females weighing 960 to 1,140 g (2.12 to 2.51 lb) on average. It is one of the world's largest Accipiters, rivaling the Eurasian goshawk and Meyer's goshawk.<p>The body is mostly covered in a dark brownish-grey plumage that is quite indistinct while the underparts are lighter in colouration and have a barred pattern. Juvenile colouration will vary and can be distinguished by having large brown spots on the breast and belly. A strong distinguishing feature is a pale eye line on the contrasting dark head. The eyes and long legs of the species are yellow in colour. <p>In flight, Henst's goshawk will have its rounded wings and long, barred tail on display. Moreover, the pale coloured rump may be used to aid in identification of a flying individual.<p>Henst's goshawk may be easily confused with an apparent mimic species also present in Madagascar, the Madagascar serpent eagle (Eutriorchis astur). These species may be distinguished using a few key features. The first is size: Henst's goshawk is a much larger bird. The barred pattern present on the breast of Henst's goshawk is also more distinct than that of the Madagascar serpent eagle, which will have a more muted pattern with lighter coloration.
分类信息
Henst's goshawk is a species within the genus Accipiter. This diverse group of birds mostly consists of goshawks and sparrowhawks. This group is morphologically distinct in that they lack a procoracoid foramen (a hole at the base of procoracoid bone). This genus is within the family Accipitridae and order Accipitriformes which together make up the majority of the diurnal birds of prey.<p>The species was first described by Hermann Shlegel, a German ornithologist (who had a position at the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie in Leiden, The Netherlands), in 1873.<p>There are two other Accipiter present on the island of Madagascar: France's sparrowhawk (Accipiter francesii) and Madagascar sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis), both of which are smaller than Henst's goshawks.
- 学名
- Astur henstii
- 命名信息
- (Schlegel, 1873)
- 目
- Accipitriformes
- 科
- Accipitridae
- 属
- Astur
分布与栖息地
Henst's goshawk has a limited distribution within Madagascar due to specific habitat requirements. The preferred habitats of Henst's goshawk are primary rainforests and occasionally secondary woodland. Due to the physical geography of Madagascar these areas are restricted to the North, West and East of the island and do not occur within the southern portion. The southern portion of the island contains more arid and dry forests not suitable for raptor foraging. Consequently, the distribution of Henst's goshawk follows that of its preferred forest habitat and is not found in the southern portion of the island. The primary forests of Madagascar may be categorized as dry deciduous and humid evergreen, both of which are occupied by Henst's goshawk. <p>Accipter Henstii is known as an obligate forest species meaning it relies on forested habitat. This poses a problem, since these habitats are quickly being lost due to development in the region. However, it has been spotted within Eucalyptus plantations in the region. And may use these plantations to supplement for lost habitat. <p>Within this range, it is known to be a rare species that occurs at low densities, but present within all non-arid forests. The estimated range of occurrence is approximately 673000 km2. With a vertical range of occurrence ranging from sea level to 1800m above sea level. As a top predator, large area requirements are necessary for foraging, explaining why the species occurs at low densities.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Migration pattern: Resident species.
保护状况
Population trend: declining.
- 种群趋势
- declining
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分布
鸟叫声
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