I attempted to quantify seasonal and daily Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) vocalizations at nest sites and identify their function. Both duration and number of calls showed significant differences among different periods of the year. The daily distribution of vocalizations differed through the breeding season both as a whole and in individual stages. My results suggested that the kek-kek-kek call may have two meanings as an alarm call and as a call to excite mates. During courtship, vocal activity was most intense in the early morning (female fertile period), but during other stages of the breeding season, vocal activity occurred throughout the day and was related to parental care. My results suggested that vocalizations of goshawks function primarily in territorial defense, intra-pair communication, and protection of paternity of young. Young goshawks showed a rapid increase in the duration of their total daily vocalizations within the first 10 d after fledging. Afterward their vocalization rates decreased until 40 d after fledging. © 2001 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.

Peer Reviewed