2002.09.10

First Day Cover:

4 stamps

Printing: Offset Lithography
Paper: 110 gsm stamp grade paper
Watermark: unwatermarked
Gum: PVA
Stamp size: 48.26 x 31.75 mm
Perforation: 14 per 2cm
Values: 18c, 89c, $1, $3
Format: vertical
Sheet: 50(2x25)
Artist: George Bennett
Text: Dick Watling
Printers: The House of Questa Ltd

An endemic Fiji raptor, the Fiji Goshawk Accipiter rufitorques is a small hawk with long tail and long rounded wings. It is well-known bird to Fijians with several well-used names in different localities – Reba, Tuitui, Latui being among the best known. Although as common, Goshawks are less often noticed than the larger Pacific Harrier Circus approximans – Manulevu, Taiseni, because of their less conspicuous hunting methods and less frequent emergence above the canopy of large trees.

Adult goshawks of both sexes have ash-grey upperparts with a dull-pink collar and underparts, while immature birds are conspicuously different with dark earth-brown upperparts, and buff-white underparts, strongly streaked with brown. In contrast to plumage colouration, which is similar between the sexes, there is a conspicuous difference in size with males much smaller than females.

The Fiji Goshawk is a wide-ranging bird, which may be encountered in any habitat from deep forests to suburbs and city parks, though the favoured habitat is open woodland or well-wooded agricultural areas. Although a Fijian endemic, the Goshawk is widespread through the islands, though absent from the Lau Group south of Cicia.

A wide variety of prey items are taken, including medium-sized and small birds especially Mynahs and occasionally larger species such as the Barking Pigeon may be tackled by the female. Insects sometimes feature prominently in the diet, as do lizards, while rats will also be taken if they venture forth in daylight. When pursuing prey, Goshawks are fast and manoeuvrable, but at other times flight is rather leisurely with a combination of flapping flight and brief glides. During courtship flights, a pair pursue one another, uttering a high-pitched piping sound and making shallow stalling dives with the tail arched, so that they assume a striking ‘U’ shape.

Prior to and during breeding, Fiji Goshawks are quite noisy and their strident “ki…ki…ki…” is often given in the vicinity of the nest. A crude nest, composed of large twigs is constructed high in a lightly foliaged tree, often the Rain Tree Paraserianthes saman. Two to four pale eggs with dark red brown blotches are laid. Generally, with a docile disposition that allows a close approach, the Fiji Goshawk fiercely defends its nest.

A Goshawk’s presence when nesting is frequently betrayed by the mobbing antics of small birds, especially the Vanikoro Broadbill Myiagra vanikorensis and when in flight it is boldly harassed by Woodswallows Artamus mentalis. At other times the ringing alarm calls of Wattled Honeyeaters Foulehaio carunculata and Red-vented Bulbuls Pycnonotus cafer leave no doubt as to its whereabouts.

Juvenile Goshawks, easily distinguished by their brown-streaked underparts, are often too tame for their own good and become vulnerable to youths with slingshots and/or stones. Although Goshawks may take the occasional young chicken from the farmyard, they do no real harm to anyone and are an important and prominent member of the Fijian avifauna.

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