Curio

State Library of New South Wales
‘Hawke of Port Jackson’: Sparrowhawk, 1789

‘Hawke of Port Jackson’: Sparrowhawk, 1789

Raper Collection, courtesy of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London; Presented by Eva Godman, 1962; Raper drawing – no. 53

Watercolour

Collared sparrowhawks rely on trees or tall shrubs for cover to ambush their prey, darting out to catch small birds.
The Collared sparrowhawk is a medium-sized, finely built raptor (bird of prey) with wide staring bright yellow eyes.
The Collared sparrowhawk has long fine yellow legs and very long toes, especially the middle toe, used to clutch their prey, before it is killed, plucked and eaten.
The Collared sparrowhawk is also called the Chickenhawk
Collared sparrowhawks display square tails. The sexes are similar in appearance but males are smaller than females.
Sparrowhawks are widely distributed across mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Although widespread, they are generally uncommon.