A review of northern goshawk habitat selection in the home range and implications for forest management in the western United States

We reviewed all North American radiotelemetry studies of within-home-range habitat selection by northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) and all studies relating territory occupancy and productivity to landscape habitat features. Goshawks selected habitats in the home range with structural characteristics of mature to old-growth forests, such as large trees and high canopy closure. We documented selection of these structures in a number of forest types, including ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), mixed conifer, lodgepole pine (P. contorta), temperate rainforest, upland hardwood, and boreal forest, suggesting that goshawks are selecting forests for their structure rather than for species composition. Goshawks did not select stands with the greatest prey abundance. Selection for natural openings, edges, and stand diversity was inconclusive. Habitat selection patterns suggest that current goshawk management plans in the western United States may be inadequate.