The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus) in the Western Great Lakes Region: A Technical Conservation Assessment February 2003 Aimee M. Roberson1,2 and David E. Andersen U.S. Geological Survey, Minnesota Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit3, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 Patricia L. Kennedy4 Department of Fishery & Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 ______________________________________________________________________________ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This conservation assessment is a summary of the information currently available regarding the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in the Western Great Lakes Region (WGLR), including the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and the forested southern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. Because relatively few scientific studies of the goshawk in the WGLR have been conducted and even fewer published, information that may be relevant from studies conducted in other parts of North America and Eurasia have also been summarized. The purpose of this assessment is to present information relevant to the formation of a conservation and management strategy for the goshawk in the WGLR. This assessment describes the species’ systematics, physical characteristics, distribution, and abundance. It also includes information regarding the foraging ecology, habitat characteristics, population ecology, potential threats, and monitoring of the northern goshawk, summarizes ongoing research, and identifies additional research needs for this region. ____________ 1Present address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2105 Osuna Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 2E-mail:
[email protected] 3Cooperators of the Minnesota Cooperative fish and Wildlife Research Unit: University of Minnesota, the Wildlife Management Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 4Present address: Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University, P.O.