We surveyed woodland birds of prey in different-aged Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) forests in western Newfoundland. Nine species of birds of prey were recorded: Merlin, American Kestrel, Osprey, Rough-legged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Boreal Owl, Great Horned Owl and Northern Hawk-Owl. Playback broadcasts generated low response rates but did facilitate most detections of nocturnal owls and rarer birds of prey. Numbers of birds of prey were low but were highest and most diverse in old-growth forests. Clearcuts provided habitat for open-nesting raptors (hawkowls, kestrels and in one year Rough-legged Hawks). Owing to rarity of woodland raptors in western Newfoundland, we recommend that large expanses of late-successional forest be set aside for the conservation of birds of prey and other wildlife.

birds of prey, newfoundland, broadcast surveys, habitat association, relative abundance