Falconry: Grey bellied goshawk- the rule breaker

In this falconry video I discuss a scarcely known hawk species called the grey bellied goshawk. As an adult, this goshawk is not very unusual. But in its juvenile plumage, this hawk represents the only real example of extreme animal mimicry in the raptor world.
The juvenile colors of this goshawk flawlessly mimic the coloration and appearance of an adult ornate hawk-eagle, other than not having booted legs or a crest. Even very closely related cousins of this species don't show anything remotely like this. Due to the scarce knowledge about this species, biologists have not even begun to tackle this genetic anomaly.
Hope you enjoy this short video as a fun and educational bit of escapism.
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[@Falco470]

I too enjoy these types of subjects. Another thing I find interesting, Australia has a kestrel, USA has a kestrel, England has a kestrel but the continent of Africa has 4 or 5 different kestrels

[@jeffreyporter4678]

Ben, the day that nature loses it's last secret is the day that humankind will lose most of it's sense of wonder! Great video!

[@taguato2000]

There is a morph of juvenile gray-headed kite (Leptodon cayanensis) wich is also a mimic of an adult ornate hawk eagle, it was just very recently described. Is so good that it includes the crest. Is ilustrated in the very new book "aves de rapina do Brasil" by Frederick Pallinger and Willian Menq, you can also see pics of the morph on the article "Distribution and identification of the White‑collared Kite Leptodon forbesi and the juvenile plumages of the Gray‑headed Kite Leptodon cayanensis" wich is freely available on researchgate

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

That is awesome! Thanks for the heads up on the new info! Can’t wait to look it up!

[@haroldbielstein3530]

Enjoyed it very much. Especially enjoy your enthusiasm of the subject!

[@TheDMVFalconer]

The only relatable example I have in mind is that juvenile Bald Eagles are often mistaken for Adult Golden Eagles. It’s amazing to learn about raptor biology!

[@MelaniL]

I love the ornate hawk eagle’s visually stunning plumage. It was very cool to learn about the mimicry in another species

[@sprwhwk]

Fascinating observation, hope to see more discoveries on tropical raptor species come out in the future

[@Therzis]

I love this kind of videos

[@RaptorGirlkathy]

Wow, what an interesting raptor & first-year plumage! Ty Ben 👏 always knowledgeable & enjoyable.

[@zenadiamacroura5981]

Forgot where I read this, but I’ve heard many, many woodpecker species mimic each other and that’s why they are similar. I mean look at the pileated and the ivory billed woodpecker, two different genera which on first glance look similar. The same goes with downy and hairy woodpeckers. Something to support this aggressive mimicry theory is that the juveniles of most woodpecker species take on adult coloration right out of the nest. No cryptic camouflage plumage needed. If you’ve ever fed birds at a bird feeder you’d know that when Mr. Red-belly shows up that all the other birds turn tail asap. Woodpeckers are very feisty birds

[@davidhuth5659]

Really enjoying these conversations about unique species! Thanks Ben! When I was young I had a giant book, Birds of Prey of the World, by Grossman and Hamlet. I spent a lot of time learning about raptors. I wish I had kept that book!

[@rickthomas2336]

Very enjoyable and informative Ty for taking the time Ben!

[@stevehanson5556]

Great video Ben really appreciated

[@carsongarnett1700]

Any bird from the jungle blows my mind

[@birdman5197]

Species spotlights are always appreciated any species at all

[@keerthivasannambiraju955]

Neo-Tropical hawk eagles are some of the most beautiful birds of prey in the world, they are brightly coloured. My favourite is the black and white hawk eagle.

[@renatoborgesa6018]

There’s another nest reported in Madre de Dios, Peru. The juvenile was already grown up but he was still roosting on the nest.

[@happybee7725]

Very cool species. I love the vids like this where the spot light is on a certain species. You’ve shown me more than a few species I didnt even know existed which I appreciate,

[@albertprice453]

Love the video Ben learn so much from you thanks for taking the time to educate us all 👍👍

[@sinip.1261]

Wonderful nature!! ❤

[@kelambrown4033]

Wonderful video! For your next one I think it would be cool for you to discuss the ecology that the ornate hawk eagle as, maybe understanding its behavior and how it's behaviors impact those of the other organisms it shares a habitat with. In doing so it could help speculate more on why the goshawks mimic them as juveniles and what benefits may come from pretending to be a conspicuous apex predator.

[@CaptainH8322]

Great idea for a thesis - thanks!!

[@facundobinelli6077]

LOVE all your videos, i would like yo know more about the south american subspecies of peregrine Falcon. Im from argentina and only ever Saw one of them

[@ethanhaymond880]

Love these type of videos. Keep em’ coming!!!

[@keerthivasannambiraju955]

you should check out the harpy eagle, a bird that dwarfs golden eagles and bald eagles and would execute either of them twice over.

[@gerbilgeneproject]

I love the way you talk about books like they haven't been around since the middle ages 😂

[@DiegoRamirez-yb5pz]

Great video :)

[@dlaughlin9]

Really enjoy these different species videos Ben. What an incredible adaptation. Another bird that would be cool to cover is the Bicolored Hawk. I think there are a couple videos on KZbin of people hunting with them.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

They are really epic. I will probably do a video on them at some point

[@raphlvlogs271]

just like how non poisonous butterflies mimic poisonous 1s and how non venomous milk snake mimic venomous coral snakes

[@joshuacarter8709]

Can you do a video on the collared forest falcons. They're rather unique

[@davidirving2006]

Have a look at the collared forest falcon, it seems that the Falconers in Mexico are more and more impressed by it. A falcon accipiter, that has soft flexible plumage and is faster on the wing than a HH.........Sounds pretty handy for falconry.

[@emilyort73]

Love to watch your videos

[@enscroggs]

7:19 J. J. Audubon made the same mistake in the first edition of his seminal work, "The Birds of America", in which he claimed the juvenile Bald Eagle was a different species. Among Bald Eagles, the white head and yellow beak are adult characteristics. The juveniles are just as large as the adults, but they're brown with white flecks and have brown-black beaks.

[@shaheerbaksh9299]

Ben, could you do a video on ornate hawk eagles

[@pacodogtule]

The forest dwelling Ornate HawkEagle is beautifull but is reported to be difficult to hunt with. Maybe this smaller “goshawk” Ornate works better for falconry. Long toes and big feet in the illustration. I want one 👍

[@travis43]

That book is awesome!!! The Authur Bent life Histories of Birds of Prey Vol 1 & 2, insane stories within those.

[@davemyers7507]

Very cool South American goshawk there I’m currently flying an ornate hawk eagle hear in California going to be hunting this year thanks for the viewing time today

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

That is awesome!!!!! Bet you are having a blast! Such a cool species

[@davemyers7507]

@@benwoodrufffalconry thanks he is rather new to me looks like the one you have in this video and your entro where might he be from?

[@enscroggs]

The mimicry displayed by the immature Grey-bellied Goshawk is probably a defense against the Ornate Hawk-Eagle. OHEs prey on just about anything they can ambush up in the forest canopy -- birds and small monkeys are regular menu items. However, one bird an Ornate Hawk-Eagle will generally avoid is another Ornate Hawk-Eagle. A raptor cannot risk injury, therefore raptors tend to avoid each other rather than fighting each other. Consequently, if an immature Grey-bellied Goshawk can make it through its first highly dangerous year of life by mimicking the coloration of the top raptor species in its habitat, then that's a significant advantage. It's also clear why the breeding-age adults don't mimic the OHE. Natural selection can produce some astonishing mimicry, particularly among insects. I bet even The Monarch himself can't tell a Monarch butterfly from a Viceroy butterfly, he probably relies on Dr. Girlfriend to point out the differences to him. Mimicry can arise for many reasons, some very surprising. Check out the story of the Heikegani crabs.

[@ethanovenell2173]

wow that is an interesting, looking even at the adult coloration and even basic shape is so different then the African species of goshawk that I am used to seeing. i was wondering if you have ever done a video on African goshawk species (such as the gabar goshawk or the chanting goshawks) vs new world accipiters (like northern goshawks and south American goshawk species? also how closely related are long crested eagle to the ornate hawk eagle?

[@keerthivasannambiraju955]

The long crested eagle may be more closely related to the bat hawk.

[@StoneE4]

There's nothing wrong with your informal, sit in front of the camera, video chats that center on theory, cladistics/classification, history, and species-specific information and I am grateful for the knowledge you impart in them, but I would really appreciate seeing more practical, hands-on, applications of your knowledge. Any chance we could get a little more of that?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Yep. I seem to not be very good at balancing it all. Mondays video is a simple, but really good practical video.