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Extending a bit on Jack's talk to COG last night, I
thought I'd offer this:
Of the ACT raptors, I suggest this is the list of
the pairwise combinations that are potentially difficult to identify. I have
ranked them from the most to the least difficult (indeed the really quite
easy). The sequence depends a lot on whether it is males or females (in the case
of when the size of the birds is a feature), whether they are perched or
flying, seen from above (behind), front (below) and the conditions
etc. Identification mistakes between all of these do occur, although only
the first three to five of them require a specific small set of distinctions to
be made. The rest have many features of separation. There is plenty of
information in the Field Guides although Taylor's one is a bit light and needs
supplementing by other ones, on the difficult choices.
Brown Goshawk - Collared Sparrowhawk
Spotted Harrier - Swamp Harrier (especially
the juveniles of both)
Peregrine Falcon - Australian Hobby
Little Eagle (pale form) - Whistling
Kite
Little Eagle (dark form) - Black Kite
White-bellied Sea-Eagle - Wedge-tailed Eagle
(especially the juveniles of WBSE)
Brown Falcon - Black Falcon
Peregrine Falcon - Black Falcon
Nankeen Kestrel - Australian Hobby (especially if
identified mainly on calls)
Nankeen Kestrel - Black-shouldered
Kite
Whistling Kite - Black Kite
Brown Falcon - Peregrine Falcon
Brown Falcon - Brown Goshawk
Black-shouldered Kite - Grey Goshawk
Philip
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