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Hello Birdos,
On Mon Jun 12 2000 - 15:00:02 EST
Rachelle Levingston asked the question:
"Dear all,
When someone talks about a "Chicken-hawke" which bird
exactly are they
refering to or is it a name for any large Raptor they see
over head? If the
latter one which raptors prey on chickens?
Thanks
Rachelle "
A bit of research into this shows why it is a good idea to have standard
common names for our birds.
Pizzey in the 1980 version of his field guide listed common names for many
species, e.g.:
Chicken Hawk:
Australian Goshawk (now Brown Goshawk)
Collared Sparrowhawk
Brown Falcon
Fish Hawk:
Osprey
White-breasted Sea-Eagle (White-bellied Fish-hawk)
Duck Hawk:
Peregrine Falcon (I have actually seen a Peregrine Falcon attack and kill a
Maned Duck in mid-air!)
Little Falcon
Sparrow Hawk:
Nankeen Kestrel (also Mosquito Hawk)
Pigeon Hawk:
Peregrine Falcon
Some of these names obviously refer to the bird's prey while others
possibly refer to the birds appearance (e.g., size).
It is always interesting trying to work out what bird the 'old-timers' are
talking about :-) .
And it is worthwhile hanging on to those old 'out-dated' field
guides.
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