Australia's rarest bird of prey, the red goshawk, is vanishing from the nation's skies as the species suffers a catastrophic range collapse that has eliminated populations across eastern Australia.
Once found as far south as Sydney, the distinctive raptor now survives only in northern tropical savannas, with researchers estimating fewer than 1,000 mature birds remain in the wild.
University of Queensland researcher Chris MacColl confirmed: The species has gone extinct all across eastern Australia, right under our noses.”
MacColl further revealed records from northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland have completely disappeared since the 2000s.
The federal government elevated the bird's conservation status from vulnerable to endangered in 2023, acknowledging its accelerated slide toward extinction.
The mysterious raptor, first described in 1801 from a drawing of a specimen nailed to a settler's hut in Botany Bay, represents a unique evolutionary lineage with only one close relative in Papua New Guinea.
BirdLife Australia's Dr Richard Seaton describes the birds as masters of camouflage that "will just glare at you" rather than flee when approached, making population assessments particularly challenging.
Conservationists have identified just ten known breeding pairs on the Australian mainland this year, with another ten on the Tiwi Islands where Melville Island serves as the species' final stronghold.
The birds require massive territories up to 600 square kilometers and build meter-wide nests in the tallest trees near waterways, habitats increasingly fragmented by agriculture, logging and mining operations.
Indigenous rangers and traditional owners are receiving specialized training to monitor nesting sites and track breeding success, providing crucial data for conservation efforts.
Climate change poses additional threats, with extreme heat creating thermal risks for vulnerable juvenile birds during their perilous 1,500-kilometer migratory flights to central Australia before returning to northern coastal areas.