Nature queries answered
What type of hawk is this and is it local? I have seen it twice on consecutive days, on the bypass road to the north of Ballarat. Will it stay in the same area or is it a traveller?
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A.G., Ballarat.
Your bird is a grey goshawk. There are two colours of this bird: white and grey. Most local reports – like yours - involve white birds. There are usually a few reports from the Yarrowee valley each year, both north and south of Ballarat.
The species is normally a short-term visitor in autumn and winter to Ballarat and district, where it likes denser forested places. However, it sometimes stays longer, and it has bred here. Your bird will probably depart for thicker forests when spring arrives. This handsome white hawk is naturally pure white; it is not an albino.
