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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Accipiter gentilis | Northern Goshawk
ABBREVIATION :
ACGE
COMMON NAMES :
northern goshawk
goshawk
American goshawk
bluehen hawk
blue darter
partridge hawk
dove hawk
chicken hawk
Apache northern goshawk
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for the northern goshawk is
Accipiter gentilis (Linnaeus). There are two recognized subspecies in
North America: A. g. ssp. atricapillus (Wilson) and A. g. ssp. laingi
(Taverner) [1]. Accipiter genitilis ssp. apache (Rossem), formerly
recognized as a distinct subspecies, has been included in the taxon A.
g. ssp. atricapillus by the American Ornithologist's Union [16].
ORDER :
Falconiformes
CLASS :
Bird
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
Notice of Review, Category 2
OTHER STATUS :
Region 3 of the U.S. Forest Service has listed northern goshawk as a
sensitive species [7]. South Dakota has listed it as an uncommon
species that merits monitoring [9].
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Randy Scott Griffith, July 1993.
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Griffith, Randy S. 1993. Accipiter gentilis. In: Remainder of Citation
WILDLIFE DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Accipiter gentilis | Northern Goshawk
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
The range of the northern goshawk is circumpolar [11]. Its year-round
range in North America extends from northern Alaska and Canada south to
northern Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, and western Maryland [1,19].
Winter sightings of northern goshawk have been recorded in Missouri,
Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, and Florida [1].
Accipiter g. ssp. atricapillus occupies most of the above range.
Accipiter g. ssp. laingi occupies a limited range on Masset, Queen
Charlotte, and Vancover islands, British Columbia [1].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES10 White-red-jack pine
FRES11 Spruce-fir
FRES15 Oak-hickory
FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood
FRES18 Maple-beech-birch
FRES19 Aspen-birch
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES23 Fir-spruce
FRES24 Hemlock-Sitka spruce
FRES25 Larch
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
STATES :
| AK |
AZ |
CA |
CO |
CT |
FL |
ID |
| IL |
IN |
IA |
KS |
KY |
ME |
MA |
| MI |
MN |
MO |
MT |
NC |
NE |
NV |
| NH |
NJ |
NM |
NY |
ND |
OH |
OK |
| OR |
PA |
RI |
SD |
TN |
TX |
UT |
| VT |
VA |
WA |
WV |
WI |
WY |
| AB |
BC |
MB |
NB |
NF |
NT |
NS |
ON |
PE |
PQ |
| SK |
YT |
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BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
K004 Fir - hemlock forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K006 Redwood forest
K007 Red fir forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
K014 Grand fir - Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest
K019 Arizona pine forest
K020 Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest
K021 Southwestern spruce - fir forest
K025 Alder - ash forest
K026 Oregon oakwoods
K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026
K081 Oak savanna
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K084 Cross Timbers
K093 Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
K094 Conifer bog
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
K096 Northeastern spruce - fir forest
K097 Southeastern spruce - fir forest
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K099 Maple - basswood forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
K102 Beech - maple forest
K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
K106 Northern hardwoods
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
1 Jack pine
14 Northern pin oak
16 Aspen
17 Pin cherry
18 Paper birch
24 Hemlock - yellow birch
25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
26 Sugar maple - basswood
27 Sugar maple
28 Black cherry - maple
39 Black ash - American elm - red maple
42 Bur oak
43 Bear oak
44 Chestnut oak
46 Eastern redcedar
52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
53 White oak
55 Northern red oak
57 Yellow-poplar
59 Yellow-poplar - white oak - northern red oak
60 Beech - sugar maple
62 Silver maple - American elm
201 White spruce
202 White spruce - paper birch
203 Balsam poplar
204 Black spruce
205 Mountain hemlock
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
207 Red fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
211 White fir
212 Western larch
213 Grand fir
215 Western white pine
216 Blue spruce
217 Aspen
221 Red alder
221 Red alder
222 Black cottonwood - willow
223 Sitka spruce
224 Western hemlock
225 Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
226 Coastal true fir - hemlock
227 Western redcedar - western hemlock
228 Western redcedar
230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock
231 Port-Orford-cedar
232 Redwood
233 Oregon white oak
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
235 Cottonwood - willow
236 Bur oak
237 Interior ponderosa pine
238 Western juniper
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
246 California black oak
247 Jeffrey pine
250 Blue oak - Digger pine
251 White spruce - aspen
252 Paper birch
253 Black spruce - white spruce
254 Black spruce - paper birch
256 California mixed subalpine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT COMMUNITIES :
The northern goshawk is a forest dweller. In the East, it usually
selects coniferous forests of pine (Pinus spp.), spruce (Picea spp.),
and/or fir (Abies spp.) with scattered patches of willow (Salix spp.),
alder (Alnus spp.), or other shrub species. However, its habitat is not
limited to coniferous forests. It also selects stands of birch (Betula
spp.), beech (Fagus spp.), and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in
deciduous forests [16].
In the West, the northern goshawk often dwells in ponderosa pine (Pinus
ponderosa), mixed-species, and spruce-fir forests. Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii), white fir (Abies concolor), and grand fir (A.
grandis) frequently dominate the mixed-species forests. Dominants in
spruce-fir forests include Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and
subalpine fir (A. lasiocarpa) [18].
REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY
BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Accipiter gentilis | Northern Goshawk
TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS :
Age at first reproduction: Some yearling females breed with older
males; yearling males are typically incapable of breeding [16].
Generally, 25 percent of northern goshawks breed as yearlings, another
25 percent in their second year, and the remainder in their third year
[5].
Pair formation: Northern goshawks are monogomous. If a mate is lost
the northern goshawk will form another pair bond [16].
Nesting: The northern goshawk selects a preexisting nest or builds a
platform nest [11]. Nesting occurs from early April to mid-June,
depending on latitude [16].
Clutch/incubation and fledging: The clutch size of the northern goshawk
varies from one to five eggs, with a mean of three eggs per clutch. One
egg is laid every 2 days. If a nest is destroyed early in the breeding
season, the northern goshawk will nest again. Incubation period is 32
to 34 days. The young fledge in 37 to 41 days with the smaller,
faster-developing males fledging a few days before the females [16].
Migration: Winter migration begins in late August to early September.
Spring migration begins in early Feburary and is usually complete by
mid-March. Many birds, however, remain in their territories year-round,
only moving when prey is limited [16].
Molting: The female northern goshawk begins molting at the start of
incubation, and pauses when the young are about ready to fledge. The
male molts during this pause. The female resumes molting when the young
are flying and hunting on their own [16].
PREFERRED HABITAT :
The northern goshawk uses a wide variety of forest ages, structural
conditions, and successional stages [17,18]. For hunting habitat, the
northern goshawk prefers the transitional zones from bog to forest and
forest to shrubland. Riparian zones and mosaics of forested and open
areas are also important hunting habitats [4,16]. The northern goshawk
uses stands of old-growth forest as nesting sites [4].
COVER REQUIREMENTS :
The home range size for a pair of northern goshawks is about 6,000 acres
(2,400 ha). Within the home range there are three areas of use: the
nest area, the post-fledgling family area, and the foraging area. Greater
than 20 percent of the home range is old-growth forest [17,18,20].
The nest area is about 30 acres (12 ha) in size, and it is usually
located on north aspects in drainages or canyons with streams [17,18].
The nest area is usually in a mature forest stand that has a
multilayered canopy with dense to open understory [12]. Within a home
range there are usually two to four alternative nest areas [17,18]. The
tree selected for nesting has a crotch, fork, or several limbs on one
side to support the platform nest [16].
The post-fledgling family area is about 420 acres (168 ha). This area
is a mosaic of forest types that provide hiding cover for the fledglings
and habitat for abundant prey [17,18].
The foraging area is about 5,400 acres (2,160 ha). This area consists
of a mosaic of shrublands, forests, and openings with perching trees to
observe prey [16,17,18].
FOOD HABITS :
The northern goshawk selects two or three species of the prey species
available within its hunting territory. It searches the area from the
forest floor to the lower canopy from a perch. Once prey is observed
the northern goshawk will take flight and pursue its prey. Once pursuit
is started and the cover becomes too thick for flight, the northern
goshawk will pursue prey on foot. The diet of the northern goshawk
changes with the season. In the spring and summer, it is mainly birds,
with a few small mammals. In the winter, the diet consists of prey
species that do not migrate of hibernate. In northern portions of their
range, northern goshawk prey upon ptarmigans (Lagopus spp.) in the
winter. In southern portions of their range, they consume ruffed grouse
(Bonasa umbellus), blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), hares (Lepus
spp.), and red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) [16].
The wide distribution of the northern goshawk results in a varied prey
base. Stomach and pellet contents show the following prey animals:
robin (Turdus migratorius), Stellar's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), mallard
(Anas platyrhynchos), black duck (Anas rubripes), sparrows (Ploceidae),
warblers (Parulidae), kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), crows (Corvus spp.),
hares, cottontails (Sylvilagus spp.), chipmunks (Eutamias spp.), ground
squirrels (Spermophilus spp.), woodchuck (Marmota monax), muskrat
(Ondantra zibethicus), mice (Heteromyidae), and shrews (Soricidae spp.)
[16].
PREDATORS :
The northern goshawk is fairly high in the food web; its predators are
large avians such as the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and
golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) [3].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Timber harvest can be part of a management plan to perpetuate northern
goshawk habitat providing the plan calls for retention of a minimum of
20 percent old growth in the northern goshhawk's home range. Rotation
time for old-growth stands should be 150 years or more [17,18,20].
Reynolds and others [18] provided detailed information on the types of
management practices that enhance northern goshawk habitat.
During harvest, the snags within the harvest area should be retained.
When hunting, the northern goshawk usually observes its prey while
perched in a snag, and then pursues the prey animal. Few pursuits are
started while already in flight [2,16,18].
When using spruce-fir forests as grazing areas, recommended utilization
of herbaceous cover is 20 percent. Heavy grazing in these forests
reduces herbaceous ground cover, resulting in dense stands of trees.
This reduces the quality of the northern goshawk's habitat by reducing
populations of its prey species [18].
Forest management activities should not take place in nesting areas
during the nesting period [10,18]. Roads in the nesting area should be
kept at a minimum and should be closed during nesting. Use of skid
trails is preferable to construction of permanent roads [18].
REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Accipiter gentilis | Northern Goshawk
DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS :
Adult birds rarely are killed by fire [14]. Fires in the early spring,
before fledging, may result in mortality of juveniles.
HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS :
Large, stand-replacing fires can reduce northern goshawk recruitment by
destroying nesting and foraging areas [14].
Fire suppression in ponderosa pine, mixed species, and spruce-fir
forests has resulted in dense, single-story forests with few openings.
Fuel accumulation may result in stand-replacing fires. Large,
stand-replacing fires can destroy large blocks of northern goshawk
habitat, resulting in an uniform habitat instead of a mosiac of open and
forested areas[17,18].
FIRE USE :
Fire can be beneficial to the northern goshawk by perpetuating forest
seres, which provide habitat for its prey. The fire-maintained game
preserves in the Southwest provide habitat for quail and other
passerines on which the northern goshawk preys [14].
Reynolds and others [17] recommended prescribed fire in ponderosa pine
and mixed-species forests to perpetuate northern goshawk habitat and to
reduce fuel loading.
REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Accipiter gentilis | Northern Goshawk
REFERENCES :
1. American Ornithologists' Union. 1957. Checklist of North American birds.
5th ed. Baltimore, MD: The Lord Baltimore Press, Inc. 691 p. [21235]
2. Benson, Patrick C. 1979. Land use and wildlife with emphasis on raptors.
[Ogden, UT]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Intermountain Region. 32 p. On file with: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. [17208]
3. Bosakowski, T.; Smith, D. G.; Speiser, R. 1992. Niche overlap of two
sympatric-nesting hawks Accipiter spp. in the New Jersey--New York
Highlands. Ecography. 15(4): 358-372. [19978]
4. DuBois, Kristi; Becker, Dale; Thornbrugh, Joe. 1987. Identification of
Montana's birds of prey. Montana Outdoors. 18(6): 11-31. [3606]
5. Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David S.; Wheye, Darryl. 1988. The birder's
handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds.
New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 785 p. [21559]
6. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
7. Finch, Deborah M. 1992. Threatened, endangered, and vulnerable species
of terrestrial vertebrates in the Rocky Mountain Region. Gen. Tech. Rep.
RM-215. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 38 p.
[18440]
8. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
9. Houtcooper, Wayne C.; Ode, David J.; Pearson, John A.; Vandell, George
M., III. 1985. Rare animals and plants of South Dakota. Prairie
Naturalist. 17(3): 143-165. [17792]
10. Kennedy, Patricia L.; Stahlecker, Dale W. 1993. Responsiveness of
nesting northern goshawks to taped broadcasts of 3 conspecific calls.
Journal of Wildlife Management. 57(2): 249-257. [21463]
11. Knopf, A. A. 1977. The Audubon Society field guide to North American
birds, western region. New York: Chanticleer Press. 852 p. [21560]
12. Kochert, Michael N. 1986. Raptors. In: Cooperrider, Allan Y.; Boyd,
Raymond J.; Stuart, Hanson R., eds. Inventory and monitoring of wildlife
habitat. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land
Management, Denver Service Center: 313-349. [13527]
13. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
14. Landers, J. Larry. 1987. Prescribed burning for managing wildlife in
southeastern pine forests. In: Dickson, James G.; Maughan, O. Eugene,
eds. Managing southern forests for wildlife and fish: a proceedings;
[Date of conference unknown]; [Location of conference unknown]. Gen.
Tech. Rep. SO-65. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station: 19-27. [11562]
15. Moseley, Robert; Groves, Craig, compilers. 1990. Rare, threatened and
endangered plants and animals of Idaho. Boise, ID: Idaho Department of
Fish and Game, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, Natural Heritage
Section. 33 p. [19328]
16. Palmer, R. S., ed. 1988. Handbook of North American birds. New York:
Yale University Press. 5 vol p. [21561]
17. Reynolds, Richard T.; Graham, Russell T.; Reiser, M. Hildegard; [and
others]. 1992. Management recommendations for the northern goshawk in
the southwestern United States. In: Proceedings, 10th Intermountain
Region silvicultural workshop; 1991 December 3-5; Ogden, UT. Ogden, UT:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region:
54-59. [21324]
18. Reynolds, Richard T.; Graham, Russell T.; Reiser, M. Hildegard; [and
others]. 1992. Management recommendations for the northern goshawk in
the southwestern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-217. Fort Collins,
CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain
Forest and Range Experiment Station. 90 p. [19721]
19. Scott, S. L. 1987. National Geographic Society field guide to the birds
of North America. 2d ed. Washington D. C: National Geographic Society.
464 p. [21562]
20. St. Clair, Jeffrey. 1992. Goshawk guidelines threaten old-growth. Forest
Watch. 13(3): 10-11. [20793]
21. Tate, James, Jr. 1986. The Blue List for 1986. American Birds. 40(2):
227-235. [24324]
22. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 1994.
Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; animal candidate review
for listing as endangered or threatened species; proposed rule. 50 CFR
Part 17. Tuesday, November 15, 1994. Federal Register. 59(219):
58982-59028. [24357]
Index
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Related categories for Wildlife Species: Accipiter gentilis
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