The brown goshawk has adapted so well to suburban life that it sometimes chases small birds under verandas and into houses.

A medium sized raptor with piercing yellow eyes, this elegant bird has a tendency to become so intent on its prey that it pays no heed to its surroundings until the chase is over.

A brown goshawk searches for prey from the vantage of a fence post. Credit:Ross Jones

Known to the Noongar as gudjelan, it is as at home stalking small animals through the leaf litter of the forest floor as it is winging deftly between tangled branches in aerial pursuit of wrens and silver-eyes. On occasion it will even catch fish.

In fact anything smaller than a rabbit is fair game for the goshawk – including the odd chicken – which has seen it persecuted in some farming regions.