Hi Brendan,
I'm still not very comfortable with accipiters, either ! But here goes..
For Besra, the main confusion species would be Crested Goshawk and Japanese Sparrowhawk.
The 1994 HK Bird Report has a paper by Geoff Carey and Paul Leader where they compare Besra with Japanese Sparrowhawk and describe asian accipiter identification as "notoriously difficult" !
On this photo, the prominent gular stripe should eliminate Japanese Sparrowhawk.
The orange eyes should eliminate Crested Goshawk which is yellow-eyed. CG also has wings which are more rounded and broad with a "pinch" in near the body and fluffy white feathering around the vent.
For a female Besra, the heavy rufous barring is a good point, and the solid rufous flanks and sides of the breast are a good pointer too.
( I think Plate 52 of Mark Brazil's "Birds of East Asia" is a useful reference for accipiters here in Hong Kong.)
And there is more Besra material in this forum, of course
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/sear ... mp;searchsubmit=yes
I hope this helps.
There is always the possibility I could be mistaken on my identification, and discussion is useful !
John
