Crested crown

A Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata or its other common name Crested Hawk perched in one of the iron bark eucalyptus to finish off the Cicada it had just caught.

Large insects such as Christmas Beetles, Stick Insects and Cicadas together with small birds and frogs are the prey, so the hawk hunts through the treetops. 

There are a number of Bazas world wide but the Pacific Baza is found from the Malay peninsular, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and north eastern Australia. The prominent crest is a feature of the Bazas.

A couple of days after the first photo I saw this bird come over the treetops then quickly climb and I had one quick chance for the photo before it disappeared behind the trees. It was quite high so the photo is not great but enough for identification as a Pacific Baza.  

Crested Hawks

This afternoon I was attracted by a bird call I couldn't place and on investigation found a family of Crested Hawks in the trees on the western ridge. The young were calling the parents who were busy hunting cicadas and I guess were still supplying food to the young ones. The first time I have sighted crested Hawks on the property although I have seen them in the district previously.