Difference between revisions of "Variable Goshawk" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 14:05, 8 May 2025

Gray & rufous (typical) morph; subspecies leucosomus
Photo © nidhinc
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 23 April 2023

Gray morph in flight. Subspecies leucosomus
Photo © Joseph Morlan
Sawatuk, Sorong Regency, West Papua, Indonesia, 20 November 2023.

Subspecies sylvestris ("Tenggara Goshawk")
Photo © James Eaton
Potawangka, Flores, Indonesia, June 2005

Alternative Name: Varied Goshawk
Includes: Amboina Goshawk, Grey-throated Goshawk, Tenggara Goshawk, Banda Goshawk

Tachyspiza hiogaster

Accipiter hiogaster

Identification

Mid-sized raptor
Three distinct color morphs occur
- Slate-gray above and rufous below
- All gray
- All white

Similar Species

Collared Sparrowhawk and Brown Goshawk are smaller and Collared has a rufous collar.

Distribution

Widely distributed from Sumbawa in the Lesser Sundas, and Halmahera in the North Moluccas, east to New Guinea, and across much of Melanesia as far as the southern Solomon Islands.

Taxonomy

This taxon is considered a conspecific with Grey Goshawk by some authors ^[2]

Reference notes differences in eye colour, size and plumage in Indonesia, recommending the taxa occurring there be split into 4: "Amboina Goshawk" (A. hiogaster: sspp. hiogaster and pallidiceps); "Grey-throated Goshawk" (A. griseogularis: griseogularis, mortyi and obiensis); "Tenggara Goshawk" (T. sylvestris, sylvestris); and "Banda Goshawk" (A. albiventris, albiventris and polionotus).

Subspecies

This is a polytypic species^[1].

T. h. sylvestris: Lesser Sundas
T. h. polionotus: Banda and Tanimbar islands (eastern Indonesian Archipelago)
T. h. albiventris: Tayandu and Kai islands (eastern Indonesian Archipelago)
T. h. obiensis: Obi Islands (central Moluccas)
T. h. griseogularis: Northern Moluccas (Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)
T. h. mortyi: Morotai Islands (northern Moluccas)
T. h. hiogaster: South Moluccas
T. h. pallidiceps: Buru Island (southern Moluccas)
T. h. leucosomus: New Guinea
T. h. misoriensis: Biak Island (New Guinea)
T. h. manusi: Admiralty Islands
T. h. pallidimas: D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago
T. h. misulae: Louisiade Archipelago
T. h. matthiae: Bismarck Archipelago (Mussau)
T. h. dampieri: New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago)
T. h. lavongai: Bismarck Archipelago (New Hanover and New Ireland)
T. h. lihirensis: Bismarck Archipelago (Lihir and Tanga)
T. h. bougainvillei: Bougainville (northern Solomon Islands)
T. h. rufoschistaceus: Solomon Islands (Choiseul, Santa Isabel and Florida Group)
T. h. rubianae: Central Solomon Islands (New Georgia group)
T. h. malaitae: Malaita (south-eastern Solomon Islands)
T. h. pulchellus: Guadalcanal (south-western Solomon Islands)

Habitat

Forest edge in the lowlands and foothills.

Behaviour

Scans for prey from a perch.

References

Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. 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
Eaton, JA, B van Balen, NW Brickle, FE Rheindt 2021. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago (Greater Sundas and Wallacea), Second Edition. Lynx Editions. ISBN978-84-16728-44-2
del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, J. S. Marks, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.vargos1.01

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Variable Goshawk. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Variable_Goshawk

Eternal Links

Search for photos of Variable Goshawk in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{incomplete}}
+[[Image:0N3A0722.JPG|thumb|550px|right|Gray & rufous (typical) morph; subspecies ''leucosomus''<br />Photo &copy; {{user|nidhinc|nidhinc}} <br  />Port Moresby, Papua [[New Guinea]], 23 April 2023]]
-[[Image:Variable_Goshawk.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Subspecies ''sylvestris''<br />Photo by {{user|James+Eaton|James Eaton}}<br  />Potawangka, Flores, [[Indonesia]], June 2005]]
+[[Image:VariableGoshawkIMG 6801.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Gray morph in flight. Subspecies ''leucosomus''<br />Photo &copy; {{user|jmorlan|Joseph Morlan}}<br  />Sawatuk, Sorong Regency, West Papua, [[Indonesia]], 20 November 2023.]]
-;[[:Category:Accipiter|Accipiter]] hiogaster
+[[Image:Variable_Goshawk.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''sylvestris'' ("Tenggara Goshawk")<br />Photo &copy; {{user|James+Eaton|James Eaton}}<br  />Potawangka, Flores, [[Indonesia]], June 2005 <!--- Comment to editors: I cannot find this image in the gallery --->]]
+'''Alternative Name: Varied Goshawk'''<br />
+'''Includes: Amboina Goshawk, Grey-throated Goshawk, Tenggara Goshawk, Banda Goshawk'''
+;[[:Category:Tachyspiza|Tachyspiza]] hiogaster
+''Accipiter hiogaster''
 ==Identification==
+* Mid-sized raptor
+* Three distinct color morphs occur
+** Slate-gray above and rufous below
+** All gray
+** All white
+====Similar Species====
+[[Collared Sparrowhawk]] and [[Brown Goshawk]] are smaller and Collared has a rufous collar.
 ==Distribution==
+Widely distributed from [[Sumbawa]] in the [[Lesser Sundas]], and [[Halmahera]] in the North [[Moluccas]], east to [[New Guinea]], and across much of [[Melanesia]] as far as the southern [[Solomon Islands]].
 ==Taxonomy==
-====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
+This taxon is considered a [[Dictionary_A-C#C|conspecific]] with [[Grey Goshawk]] by some authors <sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>
-*''A. h. sylvestris	'': [[Lesser Sundas]]
-*''A. h. polionotus'': Banda and Tanimbar islands (eastern [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] Archipelago)
+Reference notes differences in eye colour, size and plumage in Indonesia, recommending the taxa occurring there be split into 4: "Amboina Goshawk" (''A. hiogaster'': sspp. ''hiogaster'' and ''pallidiceps''); "Grey-throated Goshawk" (''A. griseogularis'': ''griseogularis'', ''mortyi'' and ''obiensis''); "Tenggara Goshawk" (''T. sylvestris'', ''sylvestris''); and "Banda Goshawk" (''A. albiventris'', ''albiventris'' and ''polionotus'').
-*''A. h. albiventris'': Tayandu and Kai islands (eastern [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] Archipelago)
+====Subspecies====
-*''A. h. obiensis'': Obi Islands (central [[Moluccas]])
+This is a [[Dictionary_P-S#P|polytypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
-*''A. h. griseogularis'': Northern [[Moluccas]] (Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)
+*''T. h. sylvestris'': [[Lesser Sundas]]
-*''A. h. mortyi'': Morotai Islands (northern [[Moluccas]])
+*''T. h. polionotus'': Banda and Tanimbar islands (eastern [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] Archipelago)
-*''A. h. hiogaster'': South [[Moluccas]]
+*''T. h. albiventris'': Tayandu and Kai islands (eastern [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] Archipelago)
-*''A. h. pallidiceps'': Buru Island (southern [[Moluccas]])
+*''T. h. obiensis'': Obi Islands (central [[Moluccas]])
-*''A. h. leucosomus'': [[New Guinea]]
+*''T. h. griseogularis'': Northern [[Moluccas]] (Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)
-*''A. h. pallidimas'': D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago
+*''T. h. mortyi'': Morotai Islands (northern [[Moluccas]])
-*''A. h. manusi'': Admiralty Islands
+*''T. h. hiogaster'': South [[Moluccas]]
-*''A. h. bougainvillei'': Bougainville (northern [[Solomon Islands]])
+*''T. h. pallidiceps'': Buru Island (southern [[Moluccas]])
-*''A. h. rufoschistaceus	'': [[Solomon Islands]] (Choiseul, Santa Isabel and Florida Group)
+*''T. h. leucosomus'': [[New Guinea]]
-*''A. h. rubianae'': Central [[Solomon Islands]]
+*''T. h. misoriensis'': Biak Island ([[New Guinea]])
-*''A. h. pulchellus'': Guadalcanal (south-western [[Solomon Islands]])
+*''T. h. manusi'': Admiralty Islands
-*''A. h. malaitae'': Malaita (south-eastern [[Solomon Islands]])
+*''T. h. pallidimas'': D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago
-*''A. h. misulae'': Louisiade Archipelago
+*''T. h. misulae'': Louisiade Archipelago
-*''A. h. misoriensis'': Biak Island ([[New Guinea]])
+*''T. h. matthiae'': Bismarck Archipelago (Mussau)
-*''A. h. dampieri'': New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago)
+*''T. h. dampieri'': New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago)
-*''A. h. lavongai'': Bismarck Archipelago (New Hanover and New Ireland)
+*''T. h. lavongai'': Bismarck Archipelago (New Hanover and New Ireland)
-*''A. h. lihirensis'': Bismarck Archipelago (Lihir and Tanga)
+*''T. h. lihirensis'': Bismarck Archipelago (Lihir and Tanga)
-*''A. h. matthiae'': Bismarck Archipelago (Mussau)
+*''T. h. bougainvillei'': Bougainville (northern [[Solomon Islands]])
+*''T. h. rufoschistaceus'': [[Solomon Islands]] (Choiseul, Santa Isabel and Florida Group)
+*''T. h. rubianae'': Central [[Solomon Islands]] (New Georgia group)
+*''T. h. malaitae'': Malaita (south-eastern [[Solomon Islands]])
+*''T. h. pulchellus'': Guadalcanal (south-western [[Solomon Islands]])
-This taxon is considered a subspecies of [[Grey Goshawk]] by some authors<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>
 ==Habitat==
+Forest edge in the lowlands and foothills.
 ==Behaviour==
+Scans for prey from a perch.
 ==References==
-#{{Ref-Clements6thDec08}}#Avibase
+#{{Ref-Clements6thOct24}}#{{Ref-GillDonskerRasmussen22V12.2}}#Avibase
+#{{Ref-Eatonetal21}}
+#del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, J. S. Marks, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.vargos1.01
 {{ref}}
 ==Eternal Links==
-{{GSearch|Accipiter+hiogaster}}
+{{GSearch|"Tachyspiza hiogaster" {{!}} "Accipiter hiogaster" {{!}} "Variable Goshawk" {{!}} "Varied Goshawk" {{!}} "Amboina Goshawk" {{!}} "Grey-throated Goshawk" {{!}} "Tenggara Goshawk" {{!}} "Banda Goshawk" }}
-[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Accipiter]]
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
+[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Tachyspiza]]