Save Our Australian Raptors

Fact Files

  • Swamp Harrier

    Get some fast facts on some of Australia's raptors!

    • 2. Peregrine Falcon
    • 3. Sea Eagle
    • 4. Wedge-tailed eagle
    • 5. Masked Owl
    • 6. Brown Goshawk
    • 7. Collared Sparrowhawk
    • 8. Grey Goshawk
    • 9. Swamp Harrier
    • 10. Brown Falcon
  • Peregrine Falcon

    Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

    • Peregrines are famous for their speed. They can dive at speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour.
    • Peregrines can be found around the world - even living in cities.
    • They are a dark blue-grey, lighter underneath with fine, dark stripes. The head has a distinctive black 'hood'. Juvenile birds are browner and heavily streaked.
    • The female peregrine is larger and heavier than the male. The female can weigh almost twice as much as the male.
    • Both the male and the female peregrine incubate the eggs.
    • They mainly eat other birds but sometimes eat lizards, insects, small mammals and fish.
    • They usually nest on the ledge of a cliff or on a ledge of a building.
    • Peregrines lay two to four eggs.
  • White-Breasted Sea Eagle

    White-Breasted Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster

    • Adults are grey and white under with a white belly. Immature are mottled brown.
    • The soles of their feet have tiny spikes to help them grasp slippery prey (mainly fish).
    • Sea eagles are not true eagles but giant kites.
    • Sea eagles mainly live near the coast but they can also be found near lakes and rivers.
    • Sea eagles defend an area of about 3 square km around their nest.
    • Their hunting area can be up to 150 square km.
    • They mainly eat fish and eels but also hunt birds, lizards, rabbits, rats and penguins.
    • They usually build a huge stick nests lined with green leaves in the fork of a tree.
    • Sea eagles lay one or two eggs.
  • Wedge-tailed Eagle

    Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax

    • The wedge-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia.
    • It lives all over Australia.
    • It has a wingspan of up to 2.3 metres.
    • The wedge-tail can soar to heights of more than 2,000 metres
    • The female wedge- tail is larger and heavier than the male. The average female weighs 4.2kg and the average male weighs 3.2kg.
    • Wedge-tails are meat eaters. Most of a their diet is made up of ground-dwelling mammals and reptiles such as rabbits, wallabies, snakes, lizards, birds and possums. They also eat carrion, the meat of animals that are already dead.
    • The wedge-tail makes a nest mainly of sticks and fresh leaves - usually in a tall tree.
    • The female wedge-tail usually lays 1 or 2 eggs white eggs blotched with purple and brown markings.
  • Australian Masked Owl

    Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae

    • The masked owl is the second largest owl in Australia (the Powerful Owl, Ninox strenua is the largest ).
    • Masked owls vary in colour from pale white/grey to dark brown/black.
    • Masked owls are found around Australia, including Tasmania but not in the arid inland areas. They prefer to live in forests, woodlands and parks.
    • The females are larger and usually darker than the males. They range in size from about 350mm to 500mm.
    • Masked Owls feed mainly on small mammals, such as rabbits, rodents and possums. They hunt at night and also eat reptiles, birds and insects.
    • They nest in deep tree hollows.
    • Masked owls usually lay two to three white eggs.
  • Brown Goshawk

    Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus

    • The brown goshawk can be found in wooded habitats, including urban areas and farmland across most of Australia.
    • These birds are very wary and rarely sit out in the open.
    • The females are larger and heavier than the males. The average female weighs about 570grams and the average male weighs about 350grams.
    • The brown goshawk is hard to tell apart from the collared sparrowhawk, which is similar in colour and markings. The brown goshawk has a heavier beetle-brow than the sparrowhawk and a more "menacing" expression.
    • Brown Goshawks feed on rabbits, birds, reptiles and insects.
    • They built a nest of sticks lined with fresh green leaves.
    • Brown goshawks usually lay 3 eggs. The eggs are white, with some darker speckles.
  • Collared Sparrowhawk

    Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrhocephalus

    • The collared sparrowhawk related to and is similar in appearance to the brown goshawk, although the collared sparrowhawk is considerably smaller.
    • They be found in woodlands and forests across most of Australia but are generally uncommon.
    • The females are larger than the males. The average female weighs about 220grams and the average male weighs about 125grams.
    • The collared sparrowhawk has an very long middle toe that is used to hold its prey.
    • Collared sparrowhawks mainly eat on small birds such as sparrows and starlings. They will also eat lizards and insects.
    • They build a nest of sticks lined with fresh green leaves.
    • Collared sparrowhawks usually lay 3 or 4 eggs. The eggs are white, with brown blotches.
  • Grey Goshawk-white morph

    Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae

    • The grey goshawk is a medium-sized raptor with two colour forms called morphs.
    • The grey goshawk is found in coastal areas in northern and eastern Australia.
    • The white morph is the only form found in Tasmania.
    • The white morph is the only totally white raptor in the world.
    • The females are larger than the males. The average female weighs about 720grams and the average male weighs about 350grams.
    • Grey goshawks mainly eat rabbits, birds, lizards, amphibians and insects.
    • They build a nest of sticks lined with fresh green leaves.
    • Grey goshawks usually lay 2 or 3 eggs. The eggs are white.
  • Swamp Harrier

    Swamp Harrier Circus approximans

    • The swamp harrier is widespread in Australia.
    • It is sometimes called the marsh harrier.
    • Fresh or saltwater wetlands are the main habitat of the swamp harrier but it is also found in farmlands.
    • The wings are distinctive with 5 'fingers' on the wing tips.
    • The females are larger and darker in colour than the males. The average female weighs almost 900grams and the average male weighs about 650grams.
    • Swamp harriers eat rabbits, birds, eggs, lizards, amphibians and insects.
    • The nest of a swamp harrier is made of grass, fern, twigs and reeds, concealed in dense swamp reeds or long grass or crops.
    • Swamp harriers usually lay 4 or 5 eggs. The eggs are white.
  • Brown Falcon

    Brown Falcon Falco berigora

    • The brown falcon can be found across most of Australia, preferring grasslands and lightly timbered habitats.
    • These birds can often be seen perched at the top of dead trees or on telegraph poles and wires.
    • The females are larger and heavier than the males. The average female weighs about 610 grams and the average male weighs about 475 grams.
    • Brown falcons often squark and cackle as they fly and can often be heard before they are seen.
    • Brown falcons feed on rodents, birds, reptiles (including snakes), amphibians and carrion.
    • They usually use the old nest of another raptor or raven but sometimes build their own stick nest.
    • Brown falcons usually lay 2 or 3 eggs. The eggs are white and almost totally covered with dark brown blotches.
References:
  • Birds in Backyards
  • Debus, Stephen. The Birds of Prey of Australia: A Field Guide to Australian Raptors. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1998.
  • Beruldsen, Gordon R.. Australian Birds Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: G & E Beruldsen, 2004.