It took me a while to identify this bird. I’ve decided it’s a Collared Sparrowhawk. Other candidates were a Brown Goshawk and a Peregrine Falcon. I’ve spent a while poring over my bird book, and decided that this bird doesn’t have a light enough front collar to be a Peregrine Falcon. Deciding between the Goshawk and the Sparrowhawk was even more difficult. Close examination reveals that this bird has middle toes that are longer than the other toes, which qualifies it to be the Sparrowhawk.

Common name: Collared Sparrowhawk

Scientific name: Accipiter cirrhocephalus

Approximate length: 30-40 cm, wing span 55-80cm

Date spotted: 25 December 2013

Season: Summer

Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: -33° 46.608′, 151° 15.268′

Here’s a still of the same bird. What a fierce gaze!

This one shows the barred plumage on the bird’s chest, and the long middle toe: