Slaty-mantled Goshawk Accipiter luteoschistaceus Scientific name definitions

28–38 cm (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), female larger than male; male 205–222 g; wingspan 55–65 cm (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Medium-sized Accipiter with short, rounded wings, short tail, large bill and long narrow legs (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); coloration of underparts ranges from whitish to pale cinnamon or buff, with slate-grey upperparts (darkest on crown and paler on mantle) (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Female is browner above, becoming blacker on crown and nape, and buff below with more obvious brown-barred breast (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Bare parts: irides orange-yellow (pale in juvenile), cere orange-yellow to red-orange (orange-yellow in juvenile), and legs yellow-orange to orange-red (dull orange-yellow in juvenile) (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Distinguished from sympatric A. brachyurus by orange-red (rather than yellow) facial skin and legs, also by shorter middle toe, and lack of rufous collar (often indistinct in A. brachyurus) (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); A. meyerianus is much larger, while A. princeps probably does not occur much below 750 m and therefore is probably largely elevationally parapatric with present species (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Other juvenile Accipiter in the Bismarcks are less heavily barred, and Henicopernis infuscatus is much larger (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile has strongly black-barred rufous upperparts including tail (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), coarsely barred pale cream underparts except throat, which has narrow median stripe (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), recalling juvenile of larger A. henicogrammus.

Umboi and New Britain, in S Bismarck Archipelago.

Forest, forest edge and partly cleared areas of lowlands and hills; from sea-level (more usually from 200 m (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ) to at least 700 m, but possibly much higher (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). As summarized by BirdLife, this species is greatly outnumbered by A. novaehollandiae in all degraded and artificial habitats, but does occur in open forest and cocoa plantations.

Unknown; no records outside normal range, but juveniles probably wander to some extent (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Lizard 15 cm long in stomach of one specimen (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); one seen on ground. Morphology suggests that it preys on reptiles and insects. No further information.

Immature in New Britain gave high-pitched "kee...kee..." (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). An excited pinched "keek-keek" given in couplets (not as continuous series of notes) described from New Ireland, thus not certainly from this species.

No information available. Incidental observations suggest possible breeding on New Ireland around Apr, but species not confirmed as present on that island (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

VULNERABLE. CITES II. Poorly known; rare. Population believed to be small and declining. Confined to New Britain and Umboi; unconfirmed reports from New Ireland probably refer to A. brachyurus (2 Debus, S. (1992). A comment on the Slaty-backed Goshawk Accipiter luteoschistaceus. Muruk. 5(2): 61. Close , 3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Known from just eleven or so specimens and a small number of recent records; thought likely to have been overlooked, as appears unobtrusive and can be confused with A. fasciatus (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). No recent information on status on Umboi. On basis of confirmed records, descriptions of abundance and range size (36,400 km²), BirdLife estimates global population as containing 2500–9999 mature individuals, equivalent to 3750–14,999 (or c. 3500–15,000) individuals in total, which is consistent with recorded estimates for congeners of similar body size. Principal threat, evident throughout range, is extensive logging of lowland and hill forests; rate of forest loss within species' range on New Britain (which alone accounts for c. 50% of Papua New Guinea's timber exports) calculated as 19·1% over three generations (4 Buchanan, G.M., Butchart, S.H.M., Dutson, G.C.L., Pilgrim, J.D., Steininger, M.K., Bishop, K.D. and Mayaux, P. (2008). Using remote sensing to inform conservation status assessment: estimates of recent deforestation rates on New Britain and the impacts upon endemic birds. Biological Conservation. 141(1): 56–66. Close ); in recent decades, clearing of lowland forest for oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations has been intense. Mining could soon become a major threat, as two exploration licences (covering 1696 km²) were granted in C & E New Britain in 2012, and all forests in Bismarck Archipelago jeopardized by mining interests; unlike logging and the planting of oil palms, which generally restricted to lowland areas, mining operations, though unlikely to affect large areas of forest in short term, can have adverse impact in montane areas and could threaten important upland forest refugia in the future. Proposed conservation measures include, among others, surveys to investigate the species’ status in logged forest, its altitudinal range, and its abundance at different elevations; employing of local hunters to find nests, and intensive observation of these; mapping of remaining forest, logging concessions, oil palm plantations and areas of proposed expansion; and charting of existing and proposed mining operations. Most importantly, there is an urgent need for generating a viable and effective conservation programme within the region.