Northern Goshawk: An Episode of Raptor on Raptor Violence!

This incident I'm about to describe happened a number of years ago, but it lives with me to this day as one of the most amazing, surprising and impressive things, I have seen in my 20 years of birding in Newfoundland.

It was in early October and I was birding on the south eastern portion of the Avalon Peninsula, in a barrenness area called St.Shotts.  The area is characterized by subarctic tundra and is virtually treeless, except for an area of stunted conifers that grow within a river valley. I was making my way out a dirt road within the community when I spotted a soaring Raptor. I stopped and got my bins on it- juvenile Northern Harrier. It was not a surprising sighting, since Northern Harriers are well known in the area.What happened next was very surprising!

Suddenly a second bird appeared and went into a stoop striking the Harrier! The birds tumbled briefly in the air before falling to the ground. I wasn't able to see what the other bird was, since everything happened so quickly. I jumped out of the car and ran to the area. The ground was very uneven, sloping. A mixture of grasses, stunted shrubs and rocks. I made my way over a small mound and there it was, a female Goshawk mantling over a Northern Harrier and not looking too pleased about my presence!

Northern Goshawk shortly after taking a Northern Harrier, St. Shotts, Newfoundland.

Incidents of raptor on raptor violence are somewhat of a rare thing in the bird world, but they do happen more that you may think. Northern Goshawks in particular seems to have a taste for the flesh of their Raptor brethren. In Europe Goshawks are well documented predators of Ural and Tawny Owls, but have been found to have preyed upon a selection of other raptorial species such as Long-eared owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Buzzard, Honey Buzzard and Common Kestrel. It has been suggested that Northern Goshawks have has serious detrimental effects on the population of Long-eared Owls and Ural Owls parts of Europe.

While science may suggest that Goshawks are a legitimate threat, the Northern Harrier clearly was not aware that it was a possibility on the Goshawks menu. It did not seem to see the Goshawk as a threat and it paid dearly for it. But what would cause a Goshawk to resort to taking what seem like a risky prey item, in the Northern Harrier?

In this area, Northern Goshawks probably prey mainly on Snowshoe Hare and Willow Ptarmigan. Snowshoe Hare populations are cyclical and though I can't remember, it's quite possible that there may not have been many Hares around that year. Similarly, Willow Ptarmigan numbers on the Southern Avalon Peninsula were low that year and as a whole seem to be lower than they were in the late 90's and early 2000's. Due to these factors it's possible that the Goshawk was formed to broaden it's perception of prey in include the Northern Harrier.

Northern Goshawk consuming Northern Harrier, St.Shotts, Newfoundland.

The Goshawk watched me just as I watched it. It would pluck a few feathers, then eat a little, the entire time it's gaze was fixated upon me. After I documented the scene with a few photos I backed off and let the Goshawk finish it's meal. When it was satiated it picked the Harrier up in it's talons and flew off with it, disappearing into the treed area in the river valley.

Never before or since, have I seen another incident involving one Raptor killing and consuming another Raptor. However, anyone who has mistakenly wandered too close to a Northern Goshawk nest knows just how vicious these birds can be. While I live for thrill of discovering rarities and unexpected species in unexpected places, scenes like this remind me pf why I started birding in the first place. I hope you enjoyed the article, if you have ideas for future content please feel free to mention in the comments or even better yet like my Birding Newfoundland facebook page where you can stay up to date on all our latest news. Information on personal guiding experiences, as well as up coming Tour info can be found here. Thanks and see you guys in the next one!

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