Grey goshawk
The grey goshawk ("Accipiter novaehollandiae") is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family "Accipitridae". The white morph of this species is known as the white goshawk. Description. The grey morph has a pale grey head and back, dark wingtips, barred grey breast and tail, and white underparts. The white morph is the only bird of prey in the world to be entirely white. Grey goshawks are the largest "Accipiter"s on mainland Australia, at about long, with wingspans of . Females are much larger than males, weighing about on average (and sometimes scaling up to ) while  males average . The population on the Solomon islands is much smaller however, with a female found to have weighed and two males averaging . Distribution and habitat. The grey goshawk is found along the coasts of northern, eastern and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania and rarely Western Australia. The variable goshawk was previously considered a subspecies. Their preferred habitats are forests, tall woodlands, and timbered watercourses. Hunting. Grey goshawks often seem to vary their prey selection opportunistically. For an "Accipiter", they relatively often select mammals such as rabbits, possums, and bats. Other prey can include small reptiles, and insects. However, the most  frequent prey type are most often birds. Evidence from different parts of the range shows females select larger prey than males, with males largely keeping to small to mid-sized passerines while females often prey on larger prey such as currawongs, gamebirds (including megapodes) and even herons. Pigeons and parrots are a popular prey item for grey goshawks. Evidence indicates that this species is less agile in the air and less skilled at twisting pursuits over the ground than co-occurring brown goshawks but, on the other hand, the grey species is more powerful and so select typically larger prey . Hunting is often done by stealth, but grey goshawks are willing to pursue their prey before catching it with their talons. Breeding. Grey and white goshawks interbreed freely. They partner for life, breeding from July to December. They nest in tall trees on a platform of sticks and twigs with a central depression lined with green leaves. The female lays a clutch containing 2 or 3 eggs, which are incubated for about 35 days. Chicks fledge 35–40 days after hatching. The female is usually responsible for incubating the eggs and feeding the young. The male does most of the hunting . Conservation status. State of Victoria (Australia) State of Queensland