ONE of Australia’s most unusual and beautiful birds of prey in Australia is the Pacific Baza.
To some people, this bird is also known as a Crested Hawk.
This raptor is easily recognized by its barred chest, large yellow eyes and small crest. In south east Queensland, this bird is relatively common and if you are familiar with its call, you will usually hear the birds before you see them.
Male and female birds are similar in appearance.
Young birds are duller in colour.
Pacific Bazas are the kinds of birds which can turn up in a number of places. I have observed them in isolated eucalypt forest pockets on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, heavily treed fringes of rainforest on Springbrook and timbered watercourses near Canungra.
Usually, the birds move singly or in pairs. They are active hunters of grasshoppers and stick insects from the foliage of trees.
The birds will breed in the later months of the year and I have seen them with fledged young birds at this time and sitting on a nest in November.
Unfortunately, young birds do jump from the nest early and over the years I have known of several young birds that have been taken into care.
However, there seems to be a good success rate of releasing these young birds and all the credit must go to the wildlife carers who undertake this task.
The distribution of this bird extends from New South Wales, up into Queensland as far as Cape York.
They can also be observed in the top half of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Most people who I know that have encountered this bird become truly captivated with them. I have been observing them for years and I certainly always loved the opportunity of a close up view of the birds to see their incredible feather patterns.
In some suburban areas, the birds do become very tame.
For anyone wanting to see this bird, it is certainly worth knowing their call and taking a closer look at birds of prey flying/circling in suitable habitat.
When you see them for the first time, they certainly make an impact!
