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6

Red Goshawk

(Erythrotriorchis radiatus)
Alternative name: "Rufous-bellied Buzzard"
Size: 45-60 cm; wing span 1.1-1.35 m
Weight: 610-660 g (male); 1.1-1.4 kg (female)
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Red Goshawk at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Close-up near-frontal view of a male Red Goshawk (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Rinyirru (Lakefield) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, September 2020]

Dorsal view of a male(?) Red Goshawk looking over its shoulder (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bitter Springs, Mataranka, NT, August 2006]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Red Goshawk (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Litchfield NP, NT, September 2021]

Frontal view of a female(?) Red Goshawk on its nest (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2018]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a female Red Goshawk (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Litchfield NP, NT, September 2021]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a female Red Goshawk issuing its call (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Litchfield NP, NT, September 2021]

Lateral view of a female Red Goshawk on its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Rinyirru (Lakefield) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral view of a female Red Goshawk preening while on its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Rinyirru (Lakefield) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral view of a female Red Goshawk returning to its nest after having been fed by its partner (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bitter Springs, Mataranka, NT, August 2006]

Dorsal view of a female Red Goshawk (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Litchfield NP, NT, September 2021]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Dorsal view of a Red Goshawk looking over its shoulder; the dark colour of the irises indicates that this is a juvenile
(photo courtesy of H. Mouritsen)
[Near Gunlom Falls, Mary River, Kakadu NP, NT, October 2015]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Red Goshawk (photo courtesy of H. Mouritsen)
[Near Gunlom Falls, Mary River, Kakadu NP, NT, October 2015]

Juvenile Red Goshawk at its nest (photo courtesy of H. Mouritsen)
[Near Gunlom Falls, Mary River, Kakadu NP, NT, October 2015]

Breeding information

Breeding season: May - Dec Eggs: 1 - 2 Incubation period: 40-43 days Fledging age: ca. 50 days

The breeding season of Red Goshawks depends on geographic latitude.

Nest building: ? Incubation: Female Dependent care: Female & male

Twitcher's tip

Note that, by the time they fledge (i.e., leave their nest), the young of all species of raptors - apart from the tail and wing feathers (which are still growing) - are already full adult-size.

For species of raptors with a pronounced size dimorphism between the sexes (the female is always bigger than the male), the obvious consequence is that a female near-fledging age chick already dwarfs not only any male siblings, but also its father.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket Material: Sticks, green leaves Height above ground: >10? m

Note that, contrary to many other raptors' habits, Red Goshawks build their nests into live eucalypt trees, not dead ones.

Overview of a female Red Goshawk on its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Rinyirru (Lakefield) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, September 2020]

Overview of a female(?) Red Goshawk on its nest (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2018]

Overview of a juvenile Red Goshawk at its nest, which is characteristically placed in a major fork of a live eucalypt
(photo courtesy of H. Mouritsen)
[Near Gunlom Falls, Mary River, Kakadu NP, NT, October 2015]

Overview of the location of a Red Goshawk nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Litchfield NP, NT, September 2021]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 54 x 43 mm Colour: Creamy/whitish Shape: Rounded

Food, Diet

Red Goshawks take primarily other birds.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

redgosh_pb_20210901.m4a (Top End, NT) Soliciting calls (female) © PB

More Red Goshawk sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.