The American Goshawk is a large forest raptor that breeds in boreal and temperate forests across northern and western North America. Hawk migration counts from the last few decades have shown that goshawks have declined at a greater rate than almost any other North American migrating raptor, likely in relation to the continuing decline of the old-growth forests they rely on. In Montana, goshawks are listed as a species of concern, but because of their secretive nature, low population, and propensity to breed in remote areas, we know very little about our current population.

In 2023 we outfitted two adult American Goshawks with GPS transmitters as part of a new project to better understand their annual movements, habitat use, and to identify any threats they face throughout their range. After this successful pilot season, we look forward to expanding this study over the next few falls and learning more about this iconic predator.