Goshawk feeding on grass caterpillars

[martin butterfield <>]

Denis

I could find no mention of caterpllars in the list of items in HANZAB.  However i doubt if much of a juicy caterpillar would be identifiable in pellets (or even stomach contents) which appeared to be the source of much of the evidence..

Martin

On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 12:07 PM, Denis Wilson <> wrote:

Dear COG members

A friend of mine at Albion Park (south from Wollongong) saw a road-killed bird which puzzled her (re the ID).
I went down there last night to see the bird while it was still fresh.

The bird had severe damage to the head, unfortunately, so it was not suitable for CSIRO collection.
It turned out to be a female Brown Goshawk, of immature stage - probably 2nd year.
It was a large bird - wingspan 88 cm. hence my ID of a female bird.
It was a little smoother in markings than Roger Curnow's immature Br. Goshawk - but generally similar in appearance.
Some heavy markings on chest and back, but showing some signs of developing the smooth rufous colour on side of neck.

It had a beak full of green caterpillars.
They look like grass-feeding moth caterpillars.
Perhaps something from the Noctuidae
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/noctuidae/noctuidae.html
The bird was found in dairy farm country, south from Dapto.
It has green grass stains on beak and some feathers, plus on one foot.

This strikes me as unusual feeding habits for a Goshawk.
Can someone pls check if this is reported in HANZAB?
--
Denis Wilson
"The Nature of Robertson"
www.peonyden.blogspot.com


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