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Only 50 of the raptors are left on the archipelago.

Their darker colour is a pattern that’s seen in a number of different birds in more humid environments, said the paper’s senior author, Darren Irwin.

“There are a number of theories why that is, but we are not really sure why,” he said. “It is a bit of a mystery.”

Geraldes said the goshawks aren’t only different in the way they look, their genome is quite distinct too.

Irwin said scientists think that the group of goshawks found in Haida Gwaii is genetically adapted to the forest environment where they live.

“The darkness and other traits that we don’t know about … that enables them to live well in that forest.”

Adults are grey and white in colour with golden talons, Irwin said, adding that juveniles are brownish.

They have a strong beak and feed on small mammals and birds, he said.

“They are very good fliers, very fast and very agile and they flash through the forest … turning this way and that way,” Irwin said. “They are used a lot by falconers. They are very charismatic birds.”

Right now Geraldes said goshawks are fighting for space. They nest in large, old-growth forests so one of the concerns is loss of habitat from logging, he said.

Irwin said apart from losing habitat, the birds are also victims of human-animal conflict.

Goshawks hunt chickens and sometimes get caught in wire fencing while at other times they’re killed intentionally, he said.

With its small population size, the genomically distinct Haida Gwaii population can be considered to be one of the most endangered organisms on the planet, the study said.