AUSTRALIAN ornithologists received welcome news this month with the
discovery of four active nests of the nation鈥檚 rarest bird of prey, the
red goshawk, Erythrotriorchis radiatus.
The nests were found last year during a search in the Kimberley Ranges
in Western Australia鈥檚 tropical north. The species had not been sighted
in Western Australia since 1910.
The red goshawk preys on medium to large birds. It has been observed
to pursue a fast-flying lorikeet from a standing start and overtake it in
less than 200 metres. The female birds are capable of killing one of Australia鈥檚
largest and most powerful parrots, the red-tailed black cockatoo, which
reaches an adult weight of 1 kilogram.
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The goshawk above is standing guard over a red-tailed black cockatoo.