Accipiter brachyurus is likely to be threatened as a result of forest clearance. Records are extremely sparse and little is known of its ecology.
Accipiter brachyurus is found on New Britain, Papua New Guinea, where it occurs in very low density in forest and forest edges at altitudes of up to 1,000 m. In 1994 it was recorded in New Ireland where it was found to be the commonest (though not very common) raptor in upland forest. A continued decline of 10% is expected in the next 10 years or three generations.
Accipiter brachyurus is considered as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN Red List for threatened species. CITES lists the species as "Appendix 2".