Australia’s most endangered bird of prey, the red goshawk, has been spotted in Central Australia for the first confirmed time in three decades after an ecologist spotted the bird at the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary west of Alice Springs.

Dr Tim Henderson, who leads a team of ecologists at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy sanctuary, said he had a chance encounter with the red goshawk about two weeks ago.

“I was out radio-tracking some possums in the northern part of the sanctuary when I saw this large, reddish-brown bird of prey flying overhead, which looked different to any species I’d expect to see out here,” Dr Henderson said.

He had his camera with him, and was able to take a series of clear photos before the bird flew away.

But it was only when reviewing the photos later, and conferring with some experts, that his suspicions were confirmed. “

“My jaw dropped when I realised what it was,” he said.

Several days later, what Dr Henderson presumes was the same red goshawk was seen and photographed again at a nearby wetland, possibly drawn to the chance of catching waterbirds which are occasionally eaten by the raptor.

Dr Henderson said the sighting was significant as red goshawks typically breed far from Newhaven, a vast desert sanctuary managed by AWC, where efforts are made to enhance biodiversity by addressing invasive species and fire management.

In partnership with indigenous ranger groups, Dr Rich Seaton from Birdlife Australia is leading a range-wide survey for the specie and had confirmed the images taken by Dr. Henderson are of a red goshawk.

“It’s a unique looking bird of prey, but they can be very tricky to identify in the field,” Dr Seaton said.

“It has beautiful, barred plumage, long, broad wings with finger-like feathers, and big feet and talons for hunting other birds.

“They’re quite fearsome – there are not too many predators that would take on a sulphur-crested cockatoo, but this thing eats them for breakfast.

“It’s an ambush predator, sitting in the branches under the canopy waiting for birds like lorikeets, cockatoos and even kookaburras to pass by. They are incredibly fast and impressive flyers and can chase down prey from a standing start.”

Dr Seaton said the red goshawk, historically found in open woodlands from near Sydney to the Kimberley, has significantly declined, losing at least 34 per cent of its original range due to habitat loss and changed fire regimes.

“It was clear to me when I saw the photos from Newhaven that this was a very significant record,” Dr Seaton said.

“GPS tracking has shown young birds regularly move inland after leaving the nest around December – January, and this photo not only validates this, but provides the opportunity to learn more about what these birds are up to in the arid zone.

“For example, although we have a good idea of what they are feeding on in the tropics, where they are more usually found, what they eat during these forays inland is entirely unknown.”

Dr Seaton said recent research by University of Queensland researcher Chris MacColl, supported by AWC, showed juvenile red goshawks make long-haul flights into the arid and semi-arid zones.

Using GPS-tracking transmitters, Dr MacColl recorded some birds making months long excursions of over 1,500 km, from breeding territories on Cape York Peninsula into the Northern Territory and western Queensland. Some of the birds tracked in flight reached altitudes above 1,000 metres.

In 2023, it was listed as federally endangered and identified as one of 22 priority bird species in the federal government’s Threatened Species Action Plan.