Hi Amy,
Upon hearing you description of the bird, the only answer (other than a very
out of place Rufous Owl) I could come up with was Brown Goshawk.
These birds are quite large, easily big enough to takle and eat a Magpie,
females are considerably larger than males.
Adults have conspicuous orange/rufous horizontal banding down their
underside.
Unlike their name suggests, they are not brown, rather grey with rufous and
white banding on their underside.
They have bright yellow legs and yellow eyes, and when their necks are
tucked in they can appear quite Owl-like in their appearance (especially
front on).
They are also naturally found in the south-west of WA.
Attatched are links to photos of a Brown Goshawk
http://photogallery.canberrabirds.org.au/images/Goshawk_Brown_Dabb.jpg
I hope this has helped with your inquiry.
Regards,
Kurtis Lindsay
(p.s) Birding is a great past time which involves many different activities,
one is problem solving! I hope you enjoy birding and get as much out of it
as I have.
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