Queen Charlotte Goshawk

Accipiter gentilis laingi

This accipiter (member of the hawk family) relies on an old-growth forest habitat, in that it requires mature "forest giant" trees on which to nest, perch and find prey. Unfortunately, this is precisely the type of habitat which is dissapearing as a result of logging on the Queen Charlotte Islands of northern coastal B Cand the northern portions of Vancouver Island. Also, as the structure of the forest canopy changes, the Queen Charlotte goshawk is forced to compete for food and territory with other raptors more adapted to open-forest habitats. There are estimated to be between 200 and 500 remaining pairs for this subspecies across its entire range.