- Accipiter cirrocephalus
Identification
Length 30-40cm (12-16in.) Wingspan 55-80cm (21.5-31.5in). Females larger
Grey upper body with chestnut half collar; gray chin, but rest of underbody from chest to tail is finely barred in rufous and white. Long, thin yellow legs. Very long middle toe.
Distribution
Widespread and common throughout Australia and New Guinea in appropriate habitat.
Taxonomy
The scientific name is also spelled cirrhocephalus. [2],[3]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized[1].
- A. c. papuanus:
- New Guinea, western Papuan islands and Aru Islands
- A. c. cirrocephalus:
Habitat
Forests and fields.
Behaviour
Diet
Expert and fast flyer that typically takes its prey (mostly small birds) in flight.
Breeding
Its flat nest is built from twigs and sticks, lined with fresh leaves. The female incubates, and broods the young.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Avibase
- Birds in Backyards
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Collared Sparrowhawk. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Collared_Sparrowhawk
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery using the common name:
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
