Wildbird of Australia

Australian Post Office issued 4 stamps with series of wild bird found in their country, Spotted Harrier and Red Goshawk in 98 c value, Nankeen Kestrel and Wedge-Tailed Eagle in 49 c value.

Spotted Harrier,or Circus assimilis, also known as the Smoke Hawk, is a large Australasian bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.The species can distinguished by grey upperparts, chestnut facial disc, and dark rump and also has wing length ranges between 375 and 470 mm, with females being larger. The Spotted Harrier inhabits Sulawesi and the Lesser Sundae Islands and is sparsely distributed throughout mainland Australia. They inhabit open country, like in arid and semiarid regions. Their feed is ground birds, rabbits, rodents and lizards.

Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus) is probably the rarest Australian bird of prey. It is found mainly in the savanna woodlands of northern Australia, particularly near watercourses. The Red Goshawk as a very large member of the goshawk subfamily, but now as one of the Australasian old endemic raptors. It is believed that the ancestors of these birds, possibly together with a handful of species from South-east Asia and Africa.

Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) is the largest raptor with the distinctive character brown colour with length size around 1.2 m, fairly broad wings averaging over 2.5 m, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail and is the most common of all the world's .It has because of both its tail and its size — it is one of the largest birds of prey in the world. The female Wedge-tailed Eagle is much larger than the male, around 4.2 kg – 5.5 kg. Males are around 3.2–4 kg.

Wedge-tails are found throughout Australia, including Tasmania, and southern New Guinea in almost all habitats. The preferred area are the lightly timbered and open country.
The Wedge-tails can eat almost anything of a suitable size, mostly carrion, red kangaroo, and young calves. Wedge-tailed Eagles are often seen by the roadside in rural Australia, feeding on animals that have been killed in collisions with vehicles.
The Wedge-tailed Eagle is one of twelve species of large predominantly dark-coloured eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide.

Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) is one of the smallest falcons, and does not rely on speed to catch its prey. Their distinctive characters are a small, slim falcon (about 31 to 35 cm long), brown above and white or off-white below, with a black tail tip. Plumage varies considerably in detail, and some birds can look very scruffy, but the slim build, small size and distinctive straight-winged hovering habit make identification easy.
A very common and easily seen raptor, the Nankeen Kestrel is found in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, and is an irregular visitor to New Zealand.
Nankeen Kestrels are adaptable and hunt in simply perching in an exposed position.