Accipiter novaehollandiae attacks Cacomantis castaneiventris

Abstract

On 4 June 1983, at about 15:00 hours, while sitting in the lounge of the Wau Ecological Institute hostel, I heard a rush of wings outside, behind me. A hawk had hit another bird in flight, and the impact had carried them about 10m further into a small hollow near a coffee bush. The hawk crouched with spread wings and tail over the struggling, crying bird. The hawk's head was up and its mouth open. When the victim cried and struggled harder, the hawk pressed closer, bent its head down, and may have bitten the bird. At this point, the hawk could be identified as an adult, coloured phase Grey Goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae. The victim was an adult Cacomantis castaneiventris.