NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Variable Goshawk
Tachyspiza hiogaster (S. Müller, 1841)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The variable goshawk (Tachyspiza hiogaster) is a bird of prey native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It was recently elevated to species status, and was previously lumped together with the grey goshawk. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Wikipedia contributors, Variable goshawk; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:48:07.234932+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tachyspiza hiogaster (S. Müller, 1841)
- Name authority
- (S. Müller, 1841)
- Common name
- Variable Goshawk
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Tachyspiza
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae Vigors, 1824
- genusTachyspiza Kaup, 1844
- speciesTachyspiza hiogaster (S. Müller, 1841)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tachyspiza. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-thighed SparrowhawkTachyspiza erythropus (Hartlaub, 1855) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Frances's SparrowhawkTachyspiza francesiae (A. Smith, 1834) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-mantled GoshawkTachyspiza melanochlamys (Salvadori, 1876) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| ShikraTachyspiza badia (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nicobar SparrowhawkTachyspiza butleri (J. H. Gurney Jr, 1898) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dwarf SparrowhawkTachyspiza nanus (W. Blasius, 1897) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| New Britain GoshawkTachyspiza princeps (Mayr, 1934) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Imitator GoshawkTachyspiza imitator (E. J. O. Hartert, 1926) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Levant SparrowhawkTachyspiza brevipes (Severtsov, 1850) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fiji GoshawkTachyspiza rufitorques (Peale, 1849) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little SparrowhawkTachyspiza minulla (Daudin, 1800) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Accipiter hiogaster (S. Müller, 1841) (S. Müller, 1841) | synonym |
| Falco hiogaster S. Müller, 1841 S. Müller, 1841 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1253625 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:CVWBK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.