Pacific Baza

The omnivorous diet of the Pacific baza consists of fruits, insects, tree-frogs, lizards, snakes, and birds. It was previously thought to be solely a carnivore and only eat fruits accidentally, but observations in the 1970s and later have shown that it frequently eats fruit intentionally. In fact, in 1981, several captive specimens of the Pacific baza would not breed without having lettuce as a part of their diet. It hunts in the canopy of forests and dives down into foliage or air to snatch its prey. Although unconfirmed, it has been rumoured to imitate the calls of tree-frogs when hunting, inducing them to return the call. It produces vocalisations of "pee-peow, pee-peow", consisting of a note rising in pitch followed by a "more explosive" descending note. Although populations in certain parts of Australia have been known to migrate partially, it is generally a non-migratory species. It is characterised as "unobtrusive and docile". A social species, multiple specimens often gather together in the non-breeding season. The breeding season usually starts in September; in Australia it lasts until February but it can be longer in other countries. During this time, it often soars up and down repeatedly for display and vocalises, positioning its wings in a V-shape when descending. It has also been known to perform various types of somersaults, such as lateral rolls. Its nests are flimsy and composed of sticks, built high in the branches of trees. The species typically lays 1–4 eggs. They have an average size of 4.34 centimetres (1.71 in) in length, 3.51 centimetres (1.38 in) in breadth, and 27 cubic centimetres (1.6 in) in volume, and are white-coloured with occasional spots. Both males and females incubate them, alternating in average intervals of 1.5 hours. A family studied in 2002 and 2003 had a pre-laying stage period of 16 days, incubation period of 29 days, and nesting period of 35 days. The juveniles became independent from their parents at least 22 days after hatching. The species has a generation length of 7.6 years.

The Pacific baza ranges across warmer and more humid parts of the Australasian realm, breeding in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands and resident in East Timor. In Australia, it is only found in areas where the coast is no further than 400 kilometres (250 mi) away, primarily in northern and eastern parts of the country. Its total extent of occurrence is estimated to be 11,100,000 square kilometres (1.11×10 m). Its habitats are subtropical and tropical forests, dry savannas, and bodies of freshwater, including wetlands, streams, and rivers, usually at elevations less than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and rarely greater than 1,300 metres (4,300 ft). It is utilised in the pet trade internationally. Because of its large range and stable population, it is listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List as of 2016.

Not globally threatened.