biology

Grey-headed goshawk

Grey-headed goshawk is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Grey-headed goshawk rather than just read about it. In short: The grey-headed goshawk (Tachyspiza poliocephala) is a lightly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

Key takeaways

Grey-headed goshawk belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Grey-headed goshawk to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Grey-headed goshawk from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The grey-headed goshawk (Tachyspiza poliocephala) is a lightly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

Description The upperparts are grey, paler on the head and neck; the wings are dark; the underparts are mainly white; the cere and legs are red-orange. The body is 30–38 cm long; females are larger than males. Juveniles have dark brown wings.

Distribution and habitat The grey-headed goshawk is endemic to New Guinea and adjacent islands. It has been recorded from Saibai Island, Queensland, an Australian territory in the north-western Torres Strait. It lives in forests, forest edges and secondary growth.

Breeding This species nests in tall trees on a platform of sticks and leaves.

Feeding It eats small reptiles and insects.

References

BirdLife International. (2006). Species factsheet: Accipiter poliocephalus. Downloaded from https://www.birdlife.org on 9/12/2006 Coates, B.J. (1985), The Birds of Papua New Guinea, Vol. 1, Non-Passerines. Dove: Alderley, Queensland. ISBN 0-9590257-0-7 Morcombe, Michael. (2000). Field Guide to Australian Birds. Steve Parish Publishing: Queensland. ISBN 1-876282-10-X

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Grey-headed goshawk

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Grey-headed goshawk claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Grey-headed goshawk before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Grey-headed goshawk ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Grey-headed goshawk

In research: Grey-headed goshawk appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Grey-headed goshawk in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Grey-headed goshawk is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Accipitriformes stubs, Birds described in 1858, Birds of prey of New Guinea, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Grey-headed goshawk outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Grey-headed goshawk in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Grey-headed goshawk means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Grey-headed goshawk out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Grey-headed goshawk in simple terms?

The grey-headed goshawk (Tachyspiza poliocephala) is a lightly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

Why does Grey-headed goshawk matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Grey-headed goshawk?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Grey-headed goshawk.