I’m sure you are right Larry - I literally skipped over the image and just posted to say it wasn’t a falcon species - I am not familiar with either either species! (Although I assume similar differences apply as in comparing E. Sparrowhawk v N.Goshawk or Cooper’s v Sharp-shinned for example - tail tip shape, leg thickness/feathering/size;etc?)My tentative guess would be Brown Goshawk (it's certainly either that or Collared Sparrowhawk)
Yes, differences like that, but even less pronounced.I’m sure you are right Larry - I literally skipped over the image and just posted to say it wasn’t a falcon species - I am not familiar with either either species! (Although I assume similar differences apply as in comparing E. Sparrowhawk v N.Goshawk or Cooper’s v Sharptailed for example - tail tip shape, leg thickness/feathering/size;etc?)
Toe shape, relative toe length and leg thickness together are valuable indicators, but not from this shot.Well I’ve looked at some online images and I can’t see present on this one image what are supposed to be the identifying features to separate these two species - it doesn’t look like it has a very furrowed heavy browed look in this image (which would point to BG) and it doesn’t look like it is longed legged either from this image. I can’t see the tip of the tail. I am not saying it’s not a BG but perhaps ‘THE FERN’ can explain what features he sees in the image that makes him, or anyone for that matter, so sure that this is a Brown Goshawk?
Interested to learn more!
Thanks MJB - agree this can’t be seen on this image and those features plus the ones I mentioned were on the ‘table’ I managed to find but I could find little else.Toe shape, relative toe length and leg thickness together are valuable indicators, but not from this shot.
MJB
I can't see any mention of anyone saying they're sure it's a Brown Goshawk, or am I missing something? I said mine was a tentative guess, and I mostly mentioned Brown Goshawk because you hadn't mentioned it (the alternative) in your post. I just looked at it's face, thought it looked heavy-browed, and thought I should mention Brown Goshawk because in my experience it also tended to me the most common of the two in most places.Well I’ve looked at some online images and I can’t see present on this one image what are supposed to be the identifying features to separate these two species - it doesn’t look like it has a very furrowed heavy browed look in this image (which would point to BG) and it doesn’t look like it is longed legged either from this image. I can’t see the tip of the tail. I am not saying it’s not a BG but perhaps ‘THE FERN’ can explain what features he sees in the image that makes him, or anyone for that matter, so sure that this is a Brown Goshawk?
Interested to learn more!
Perhaps I misunderstood FERN’s thumbs up - I assumed he was confirming your suggestion of BG over my (very tentative!) suggestion of CS - these thumbs up buttons seem to get pressed for so many different reasons, they’re downright confusing at times and ambiguous apparently but ‘normally‘ to my mind they are a vote for the ID given by the recipient of the thumbs up but maybe I’m missing something?I can't see any mention of anyone saying they're sure it's a Brown Goshawk, or am I missing something?
So there’s overlap in size then (albeit just a cm assuming this is the fem. of the CS being as large as the male BG)Agree with Larry. Looks like Brown Goshawk. Collared Sparrowhawk is the same but much smaller. If it is a big bird 40-55 cm it is Brown Goshawk. If it is small 30-40 cm (the size of Australian Cuckoo-shirke, then it is the Sparrowhawk.
It is impossible to tell the size from the photo but it seems to be perched on a fairly thick branch which implies a large bird (or maybe it just seems that way to me.) I was hoping the person who saw the bird, would read that and tell us if he saw a large bird or a small one. Yes, the size I gave was in cm.So in this image, what are you using in the image as a relative size measurement that tells us how large the OP is if you dont mind me asking? A perched bird in the trees is very hard to assess wing length and body length (the wingspan I assume you are referring to here in cm?)
Impressions and guesstimates of size are subjective impressions and with all due respect, comparing the size of one species with another when it is sitting above eye level on a branch (that you have no idea of thickness of the branch or the distance from the camera) is pure guesswork imo.it is impossible to tell the size from the photo