ACCIPITRIDAE (35 species)

Pandion halieaetus Eurasian Osprey
Inclusion of this genus in Accipitridae in a basal position was discussed by Christidis and Boles (2008); AOU (1998) and Dickinson (2003) placed it here also. Genetic distance between the subspecies warrants recognition as species; see Christidis and Boles (2008).
Cas Oct-Mar Ogasawara Is, Iwo Is, Palau (Engbring 1988), Mariana Is (Guam, Saipan, Pagan, Reichel and Glass 1991), Caroline Is (Yap- several months to Feb, Wiles et al 2000). No evidence for suggested breeding Palau (Pyle and Engbring 1985). Extirp as breeder Mariana Is (Guam, Baker 1951).
F: Palau (Peleliu: 2 seen Dec, Talbot).
P. cristatus Eastern Osprey
This taxon includes melvillensis (Solomon Is) and microhaliaetus (New Caledonia); leucocephalus is used by some authors for Australasian birds (eg HANZAB).
Res Solomon Is incl Nissan (Hadden 2004b), Buka, Bougainville (Hadden 2004a); New Caledonia (Grande Terre, 200 prs southern half, Barre and Dutson 2000; Loyalty Is: ?Lifou, Barre and Dutson 2000).
F: Solomon Is (Nissan: common, Hadden 2004b; Guadalcanal; Rennell: 3 L Tenggano; Kolombangara, Richards; widespread, Hornbuckle; Florida Is: Mana I, Talbot); New Caledonia (2 on Yate-Goro road, Fairbank; 2 near Mamie Oct, T. Clarke).
P. carolinensis American Osprey
Vis Hawaiian Is, Jun-Jan Galapagos Is, Sep-Apr Guadalupe I, Revillagigedo Is, Clipperton I, Cocos I (Montoya 2003).
Aviceda subcristata Pacific Baza
Some authors include the next two taxa with gurneyi.
A. s. proxima Res Solomon Is (Buka, Bougainville, Shortland Is, New Georgia Is).
F: Common Buka, Bougainville (Hadden 2004a).
A. s. robusta Res Solomon Is (Choiseul, Santa Isabel).
A. s. gurneyi Res Solomon Is (where proxima, robusta absent; Rennell?).
F: Solomon Is (Ghizo: 4 near Gizo, Richards); Santa Isabel: 2, Hornbuckle).
Elanus axillaris (=notatus) Black-shouldered Kite
Hypo Lord Howe I (Hutton 1991; 2 reports, McAllan et al 2004).
Milvus migrans Black Kite
M. m. subsp? Cas Palau, Mariana Is (Wiles et al 2000; Apr-May Saipan, Kessler 1999; Pagan, Reichel and Glass 1991), NZ (NI, SI, poss only 1-2 birds account for the several sightings). Acc Hawaiian Is (Scott et al 2001).
F: Palau (Angaur: seen Dec, de Vries).
Haliastur sphenurus Whistling Kite
Res New Caledonia (Grande Terre).
F: New Caledonia (PTRB, Quested; 6 at PTRB, 1 Yate-Goro Road, Fairbank; common between Tontouta and La Foa, T. Clarke).
H. indus Brahminy Kite
H. i. flavirostris Res Solomon Is (incl Green Is, Tarburton 2006). Acc Vanuatu, Sep Lord Howe I (McAllan et al 2004).
F: Solomon Is (fairly common, seen all islands except Rennell, Richards; very common Green Is, Tarburton 2006).
H. i. subsp? Acc Palau.
Haliaeetus leucogaster White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Christidis and Boles (2008), noting the small genetic distance between leucogaster and sanfordi, as well as additional evidence, combined the two as subspecies of leucogaster.
H. l. leucogaster Res Solomon Is (Nissan, Hadden 2004a, 2004b). Vis Solomon Is (Nissan, Hadden 2004a). Acc New Caledonia (immature Lac du Yate Oct 1999; new NC rec? T. Clarke).
H. l. sanfordi Res Solomon Is (except Rennell, Doughty et al 1999; ?Nissan, Hadden 2004b).
F: Solomon Is (Makira: over Hauta, Richards; Santa Isabel: seen daily Garanga R, Kratter et al 2001; Buka: Arawa area, Gregory, Anderson; Kolombangara, Ghizo, Ranongga, Hornbuckle; Florida Is: Mana I, Talbot).
H. albicilla White-tailed Sea-Eagle
H. a. albicilla Acc Ogasawara Is (Chichijima), Hawaiian Is (Dec-Mar Kauai, NAB).
H. pelagicus Steller's Sea-Eagle
H. p. subsp? Cas w Hawaiian Is (Kure I, Midway I, French Frigate Shoals). Acc s Izu Is (Torishima).
Circus approximans Swamp Harrier
Two subspecies have been recognized, gouldi of NZ and approximans of the sw Pacific (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001), but mensural differences have been considered insignificant (HANZAB).
Res Vanuatu, New Caledonia (Grande Terre, Loyalty Is), Fiji, Tonga, NZ, Chatham Is, Kermadec Is (not proven breeding, Veitch et al 2004). Int Society Is. Cas Solomon Is (Guadalcanal, Hornbuckle; Three Sisters Is), Lord Howe I (McAllan et al 2004), Apr-Dec Norfolk I mostly juvs from NZ (Christian 2005), Cook Is (one filmed Rarotonga May-Jun 1992 ID as aeroginosus, but likely this taxon, McCormack 2006), Snares Is, Campbell I, Auckland Is, Jun-Oct Macquarie I.
F: Vanuatu (Santo: several, Ewin); New Caledonia (2 Mt Koghi Dec, Gregory; very rare Ouvea, Barre and Dutson 2000).
C. hudsonius Northern Harrier
This and the next species are sometimes treated as subspecies of C. cyaneus, but considered specifically distinct by Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001).
Cas Hawaiian Is.
C. cyaneus Hen Harrier
Acc Ogasawara Is (Chichijima).
C. aeruginosus Marsh Harrier
Subspecies spilonotus sometimes treated as separate species Eastern Marsh-Harrier (eg Dickinson 2003), but Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001) note interbreeding of C.a. spilonotus and C. a. aeruginosus where ranges meet.
C. a. spilonotus Acc Ogasawara Is (Chichijima), Mariana Is (Oct Rota, Wiles et al 2000).
Accipiter soloensis Chinese Goshawk
Vis Sep-Mar Mariana Is (Rota, Saipan, hypo Guam, Reichel and Glass 1991), Caroline Is (Yap), Palau. Acc Hawaiian Is (Scott et al 2001).
A. pulchellus Rufous-breasted Goshawk
Some authors (eg Dickinson 2003) consider conspecific with A. novaehollandiae Grey Goshawk (Australia) and/or A. hiogaster Variable (Varied) Goshawk (Papua-New Guinea), but see Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001) and Christidis and Boles (2008).
A. p. pulchellus Res Solomon Is (Guadalcanal).
F: Solomon Is (Guadalcanal: 3, Richards).
A. p. malaitae Res Solomon Is (Malaita).
A. p. bougainvillei Res Solomon Is (Buka, Bougainville, Shortland Is: Shortland and Fauro, Treasury Is: Mono).
A. p. rufoschistaceus Res Solomon Is (Santa Isabel, Choiseul, Florida Is).
F: Solomon Is (Santa Isabel, Hornbuckle).
A. p. rubianae Res Solomon Is (New Georgia Is except Nggatokae).
F: Solomon Is (Vella Lavella, Hornbuckle; Uepi, Talbot).
A. novaehollandiae Grey Goshawk
Hypo Lord Howe I (HANZAB; McAllan et al 2004).
A. fasciatus Brown (Australian) Goshawk
A. f. fasciatus Res Solomon Is (Rennell, Bellona).
F: Solomon Is (Rennell: several on road to L Tenggano, Richards).
A. f. vigilax Res Vanuatu (Aneiteum, Tanna, Bregulla 1992, Dutson 2001), New Caledonia (Grande Terre 1950 prs, Barre and Dutson 2000, Loyalty Is). Acc (this subsp?) Sep Norfolk I. Extirp (this sp?) Norfolk I (Worthy and Holdaway 2002).
F: New Caledonia (one between Tountouta and La Foa Oct-Nov, T. Clarke); Loyalty Is (Lifou, T. Clarke).
A. albogularis Pied Goshawk
Some sightings of this species questionable due to similarity with A. imitator, see below.
A. a. woodfordi Res Solomon Is (Buka, Bougainville, Shortland Is incl Fauro, Treasury Is (Mono), Guadalcanal, Malaita, Ulawa I, Choiseul, Florida Is, Doughty et al 1999, Mayr and Diamond 2001).
F: Solomon Is (Buka: quite common, Anderson; Guadalcanal: Mt Austen, Hornbuckle; Honiara, Talbot).
A. a. gilvus Res Solomon Is (New Georgia Is except Nggatokae).
F: Solomon Is (Kolombangara, Ghizo, Richards, Hornbuckle); Ranongga, Hornbuckle).
A. a. albogularis Res Solomon Is (Makira, Ugi Is, Santa Ana, Santa Catalina).
F: Solomon Is (Makira: 4, Richards; 2, Hornbuckle).
A. a. sharpei Res Solomon Is (Santa Cruz Is: Utupua, Vanikoro).
A. haplochrous White-bellied Goshawk
Res New Caledonia (Grande Terre 2500 prs, Barre and Dutson 2000).
F: New Caledonia (Mt Koghi, Quested; 2 PTRB, 1 Yate-Goro road, Fairbank; several Oct-Nov, T. Clarke; "a scarce and difficult endemic", Gregory; 3 Col d'Amieux Road, Klauber).
A. rufitorques Fiji Goshawk
Res Fiji.
F: Fiji (Kadavu, Lonsdale; Taveuni: up to 3 daily, Sargeant 1992; Viti Levu: 2 Nausori Highlands, Sargeant 1992).
A. imitator Imitator Sparrowhawk
Res Solomon Is (Choiseul, Santa Isabel; cas Bougainville, Hadden 2004a; ?Makira, ?Guadalcanal.)
May be more numerous on Isabel than prev thought, as field separation from A. albogularis is difficult; dark specs of Accipiter from Isabel have been previously assigned to A. albogularis, but all dark and pied specs in AMNH are in fact A. imitator and no specimens of albogularis are known from Isabel (Kratter et al 2001, LeCroy et al 2001).
F: Solomon Is (Bougainville: only 4 recs, Hadden 2004a; Santa Isabel: Garanga R uncommon, Kratter et al 2001; very rare, Wheatley 1998; 2 thought albogularis, but specs indicate all on Isabel are imitator, Hornbuckle 1999; Choiseul: very rare, Wheatley 1998).
A. gularis Japanese Sparrowhawk
Sometimes considered conspecific with A. virgatus Besra Sparrowhawk. Reichel and Glass (1991) noted Jouanin's conclusion that the Oct 1877 Guam specimen in the Paris Museum matched neither A. virgatus nor A. gularis, but that the measurements made by Jouanin suggested either A. virgatus or A. nisus Eurasian Sparrowhawk. Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001) consider reports of sparrowhawks from Izu, Ogasawara, and Iwo Is, as well as Palau, likely gularis.
A. g. gularis Vis Palau? Cas s Izu Is, Ogasawara Is, Iwo Is.
A. striatus Sharp-shinned Hawk
A. s. subsp? Acc Revillagigedo Is.
A. gentilis Northern Goshawk
A. g. fujiyamae Vis Oct-Mar Ogasawara Is (Hahajima, Nishinoshima).
A. meyerianus Meyer's Goshawk
Res Solomon Is (?Buka, Kolombangara, Vella Lavella, Nggatokae, Guadalcanal, Doughty et al 1999, Mayr and Diamond 2001, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Dutson 2001).
Butastur indicus Grey-faced Buzzard
Cas s Izu Is (Apr Torishima), Iwo Is (Kitaiwojima). Acc Mariana Is (Feb-Mar Guam, Wiles et al 2000), Caroline Is (Mar Yap, Clements 2003).
Buteo galapagoensis Galapagos Hawk
Res 130 prs in 1970s, but currently 700-900 inds (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001) Galapagos Is (Santa Cruz few, Santiago, Isabela, Santa Fe, Espanola, Fernandina). Extirpated Floreana, San Cristobal, Seymour, Daphne, Baltra. Unrecorded Genovesa, Wenman, Culpepper.
F: Galapagos Is (Rabida; Santiago: nest; Fernandina and Isabela a few; one Espanola, one highlands Santa Cruz, where rare, Chartier).
B. exsul Juan Fernandez Hawk
Often considered conspecific with B. polyosoma Red-backed Hawk and/or B. poecilochrous Gurney's Hawk, but plumage differences and isolation suggest otherwise (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).
Res Juan Fernandez Is (Mas Afuera I; int Isla Robinson Crusoe (=Mas Atierra).
B. solitarius Hawaiian Hawk (Io)
Res 1160-2700 inds (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001) Hawaiian Is (Hawaii; cas Kauai, Maui, Oahu).
F: Hawaiian Is (Hawaii: anywhere, but try Stainback Hiway, Pratt 1993).
B. jamaicensis Red-tailed Hawk
B. j. socorroensis Res Revillagigedos Is (Socorro I 15-20 prs). Cas Revillagigedo Is (San Benedicto, Brattstrom and Howell 1956).
B. j. subsp? Extirpated Guadalupe I (Howell and Webb 1995).
B. buteo Common Buzzard
B. b. toyoshimai Res southern Izu Is (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001), Ogasawara Is (Chichijima, Hahajima, smaller is). Vis Mariana Is (Anatahan, Sarigan, hypo Guam, Reichel and Glass 1991). Hypo Palau (Pyle and Engbring 1985).
B. lagopus Rough-legged Hawk
B. l. subsp? Cas Hawaiian Is (Scott et al 2001; 2 birds Oct-Nov Midway I, Kahoolawe, N. Am. Birds 56:121).
Aquila chrysaetos Golden Eagle
A. c. subsp? Acc Hawaiian Is (Kauai).


FALCONIDAE (13 species)

Placement of the caracaras within Falconidae was confirmed by Griffiths (1999; see also Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).

Falco berigora Brown Falcon
Acc May Lord Howe I (McAllan et al 2004, Hutton 1991).
F. sparverius American Kestrel
F. s. fernandensis Res Juan Fernandez Is (Isla Robinson Crusoe =Mas Atierra).
F. s. guadalupensis Res Guadalupe I.
F. s. subsp. Cas mostly Oct-Apr Revillagigedo Is (AOU 1998); ?Desventuradas Is (Palmer 1988).
F. tinnunculus Eurasian Kestrel
F. t. interstinctus Cas s Izu Is, Ogasawara Is, Iwo Is, Mariana Is (Saipan, Sep Guam, Wiles et al 2000).
F. amurensis Amur Red-footed Falcon
Acc Mariana Is (Saipan, Reichel and Glass 1991).
F. cenchroides Nankeen (Australian) Kestrel
F. c. cenchroides Res Lord Howe I, Norfolk I. Cas New Caledonia (Apr and Jul, Barre and Dutson 2000), NZ (NI, SI).
F: Lord Howe I (seen Apr, Bielewicz); Norfolk I (5+ Point Howe, Kingston, Anson Bay, Duranti).
F. columbarius Merlin
F. c. subsp? Vis Oct-Apr Revillagigedo Is. Acc Hawaiian Is (Scott et al 2001).
F. subbuteo Northern Hobby
F. s. subsp? Hypo Mariana Is ("just possibly" Guam, Pagan, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, but considered hypo Mariana Is by Pyle and Engbring 1985 and Reichel and Glass 1991).
F. severus Oriental Hobby
F. s. papuanus Res Solomon Is (Buka, Bougainville, Choiseul, Ghizo, Kolombangara, Guadalcanal, Makira, Santa Isabel, Mayr and Diamond 2001; rec Nissan likely winter visitor, Hadden 2004b). Hypo Palau (Pyle and Engbring 1985).
F: Solomon Is (Bougainville: moderately abundant s, Schodde 1977).
F. novaezeelandiae New Zealand Falcon
Res total pop 3000-4500 prs NZ (NI, SI, Stewart I 190 prs), Auckland Is 10 prs. Acc Campbell I (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).
F. subniger Black Falcon
Acc NZ (Nov NI, Jan SI).
F. peregrinus Peregrine Falcon
F. p. fruitii Extinct? Res Iwo Is (4 prs Kitaiwojima), ?Ogasawara Is (Brazil 1991). Acc s Izu Is (Torishima).
F. p. ernesti Res Solomon Is (Guadalcanal, Anusagaru I off Bougainville, Three Sisters Is, Mayr and Diamond 2001, Kolombangara, Richards; one rec Nissan, Hadden 2004b; visitor 4 recs Bougainville, Hadden 2004a).
F: Solomon Is (Guadalcanal: Mt Austen, Richards, Hornbuckle; Kolombangara: Camp Professor, Richards).
F. p. nesiotes Res New Caledonia (Grande Terre, Loyalty Is incl old rec Walpole I, Barre and Dutson 2000), Vanuatu, Fiji 20 prs (Watling 2001).
F: Vanuatu (Santo: Fighter 1 airstrip, Ewin); New Caledonia (Noumea, Quested; PTRB Oct, T. Clarke); Loyalty Is: common Ouvea, rare Lifou, Barre and Dutson 2000).
F. p. japonensis (Prob this subsp, but see next entry). Vis Nov-Jul Palau, Caroline Is (Yap). Cas Mariana Is (Guam, Saipan, Reichel and Glass 1991). Acc s Izu Is (Torishima), Iwo Is (Kitaiwojima), Hawaiian Is (US Nat Mus Proc 124; 1968).
F. p. calidus Acc Mariana Is (Dec-Jan Rota, Wiles et al 2000).
F. p. subsp? Vis Oct-Apr Guadalupe I, Revillagigedo Is, Clipperton I, Cocos I (Montoya 2003), Galapagos Is (mostly Nov-Mar, but also May-Jun). Cas Sep-May Hawaiian Is. Acc Samoa (Savaii). At sea far from land on occasion (Palmer 1988).
Caracara lutosa Guadalupe Caracara
Taxonomy of this species was discussed by Dove and Banks (1999).
Extinct; formerly res Guadalupe I .
Milvago chimango Chimango Caracara
M. c. subsp? Int Easter I.