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Red Goshawk in flight at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary — Image credit: Tim Henderson/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

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“My jaw dropped when I realised what it was,” says Dr Tim Henderson, a resident ecologist at Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s (AWC) Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary.

It was at this sanctuary – on Ngalia Warlpiri and Luritja Country west of Alice Springs – that Tim recently spotted a “large, reddish-brown bird of prey flying overhead” while conducting routine radio-tracking of possums.

“It looked different to any species I’d expect to see out here,” says Tim, who luckily had his camera with him and captured a series of photos of the bird before it flew out of sight.

It was only when Tim later reviewed the photos that he suspected it might be Australia’s rarest bird of prey, the elusive red goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus). This suspicion was soon confirmed when BirdLife Australia’s raptor expert Dr Richard Seaton verified the bird’s identity.

“It was clear to me when I saw the photos from Newhaven that this was a very significant record,” Richard says. “It’s a unique-looking bird of prey, but they can be very tricky to identify in the field.

“It has beautiful, barred plumage; long, broad wings with finger-like feathers; and big feet and talons for hunting other birds.”

The red goshawk takes flight from its perch at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary — A red goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus) – photographed at AWC’s Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary – the first confirmed record of the species in Central Australia since a handful of sightings in the mid-1990s. Image credit: Tim Henderson/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

A fearsome reputation

The red goshawk is a powerful raptor with an imposing stature, massive yellow feet, and talons designed to catch and kill smaller birds.

“It’s an ambush predator,” Richard says. “[They sit] in the branches under the canopy waiting for birds like lorikeets, cockatoos and even kookaburras to pass by. They are incredibly fast and impressive flyers and can chase down prey from a standing start.

“They’re quite fearsome. There aren’t too many predators that would take on a sulphur-crested cockatoo, but this thing eats them for breakfast!”

An illustration of a red goshawk — The red goshawk is a powerfully built hunter with a body size of45-60cm, and a wingspan of 110-135cm. Illustration credit: Ego Guiotto/Australian Geographic

Australia’s rarest bird of prey

The red goshawk was once found in forests and open woodlands down Australia’s east coast as far south as Sydney. It’s now functionally extinct in New South Wales, occurring only across the north of the country in the Kimberley, Top End, Tiwi Islands and Cape York regions.

Listed as federally endangered in 2023, the species is also classified as endangered in Queensland and vulnerable in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. In 2021 it was identified as one of 22 ‘priority bird species’ in the federal government’s Threatened Species Action Plan.

The individual photographed at AWC’s Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary marks the first confirmation of the species in the Central Australia region for 30 years.

Adding a valuable piece to the puzzle

Scientists are trying to improve knowledge of the red goshawk’s ecology by analysing movements of the species using GPS tracking devices.

A research team led by The University of Queensland and supported by AWC recently found that juvenile red goshawks embark on long-haul flights from their breeding territories on Cape York Peninsula. The flights can end up to 1500km away in arid and semi-arid regions of the Northern Territory and western Queensland.

These epic journeys can take months, and some birds have been tracked in flight reaching altitudes above 1000m. But researchers don’t know why these birds make these long flights. This recent sighting so far inland is an important addition to the puzzle.

Red goshawk in flight at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary

Red goshawk in flight at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary

“The GPS tracking has shown young birds regularly move inland after leaving the nest around December-January. This photo not only validates this but also provides the opportunity to learn more about what these birds are up to in the arid zone,” Richard says.

“For example, although we have a good idea of what they are feeding on in the tropics (where they are more commonly found), what they eat during these forays inland is entirely unknown.”

Findings from this research will guide AWC’s work in providing suitable red goshawk habitat on its sanctuaries and informing more effective conservation management across the bird’s range.

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Return of the red goshawk - Australian Geographic