Hawk, Sri Lanka (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Here are a couple of pictures of a juvenile hawk from Sinharaja Forest in Sri Lanka. Pictures were taken on 6th August. I'm pretty sure of what it is but thought I might see what others think, as there are some differences from field guide illustrations. I have some other shots but don't think they show other features.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Hmm, I guess these are tricky then! Well, I think this is a juvenile Crested Goshawk. Here's a nice comparison shot:
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=850&Bird_Image_ID=23178&Bird_Family_ID=&p=36
The spotting on the underparts is much heavier than is illustrated in Harrison's field guide to Sri Lanka (which actually shows no spotting at all), but in the text it suggests they can be spotted. Anyone any other thoughts?

 

[Motmot]

They look like pictures of the same bird. Spot on.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

They look like pictures of the same bird. Spot on.

I was quite pleased to find a picture of a juvenile from Sri Lanka, as this species seems to be pretty variable across its range. Harrison (which is not too bad a field guide) seems to be a bit lacking when it comes to the ID of accipiters, which admittedly is quite tricky in that part of the world (and most others come to think of it).