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Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk (sometimes sparrow hawk) may refer to several species of small hawk in the genus ''Accipiter''. "Sparrow-hawk" or sparhawk originally referred to ''Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus'', now called "Eurasian" or "northern" sparrowhawk to distinguish it from other species. The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius''), a North American falcon species, is also commonly referred to as a "sparrow hawk". Hawk species include: {{Animal common name Accipiter Birds by common name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below. The female is up to 25% larger than the male – one of the greatest size differences between the sexes in any bird species. Though it is a predator which specialises in catching woodland birds, the Eurasian sparrowhawk can be found in any habitat and often hunts garden birds in towns and cities. Males tend to take smaller birds, including tits, finches, and sparrows; females catch primarily thrushes and starlings, but are capable of killing birds weighing or more. The Eurasian sparrowhawk is found throughout the temperate and subtropical parts of the Old World; while birds from the northern parts of the range migrate south for winter, their southern counterp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Sparrowhawk
The black sparrowhawk (''Accipiter melanoleucus''), sometimes known as the black goshawk or great sparrowhawk, is the largest African member of the genus ''Accipiter''.Arkive. Black goshawk (''Accipiter melanoleucus''). In: Arkive: Images of Life on Earth.. Retrieved 6 October 2011. It occurs mainly in forest and non-desert areas south of the Sahara, particularly where there are large trees suitable for nesting; favored habitat includes suburban and human-altered landscapes. It preys predominantly on birds of moderate size, such as pigeons and doves, in suburban areas.Curtis O.E., Hockey P.A.R., Koeslag A. 2007Competition with Egyptian geese ''Alopochen aegyptiaca'' overrides environmental factors in determining productivity of Black Sparrowhawks ''Accipiter melanoleucus'' ''Ibis'' 149: 502‐508. Taxonomy There are 2 subspecies of black sparrowhawk: ''Accipiter melanoleucus melanoleucus'', which was named by A. Smith in 1830, and ''Accipiter melanoleucus temminckii'', which was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Accipiter
''Accipiter'' is a genus of Bird of prey, birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. With 51 recognized species it is the most diverse genus in its family. Most species are called goshawks or sparrowhawks, although almost all New World species (excepting the northern goshawk) are simply known as hawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a coracoid, procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large procoracoid foramen and are also distinct as regards DNA sequence. They may warrant separation in the old genus ''Hieraspiza''.Olson (2006) Extant accipiters range in size from the little sparrowhawk (''A. minullus''), in which the smallest males measure long, span across the wings and weigh , to the northern goshawk (''A. gentilis''), in which the largest females measure long, span across the wings, and weigh . These birds are slender with short, broad, rounded wings and a long tail which helps them mane ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Sparrowhawk
The little sparrowhawk (''Accipiter minullus'') is a species of Afrotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is the smallest member of the genus ''Accipiter'' and forms a superspecies with the red-thighed sparrowhawk (''Accipiter erythropus''). Description The little sparrowhawk is, as its name suggests a very small bird of prey which is also distinguished by two white spots on the underside of its central tail feathers and by a narrow white patch on the lower rump. It is sexually dimorphic and the male has dark grey upperparts, which can appear almost black, this colour extending on to the cheeks to contrast with the white throat. The underparts are white barred with fine rufous bars. The females are overall browner on the upperparts and the underpart bars are also browner and less fine than the male. The juveniles are browner overall with pale tips to the upperpart feathers and is spotted with grown below rather than barred and the rump feathers have only the tips w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Levant Sparrowhawk
The Levant sparrowhawk (''Accipiter brevipes'') is a small bird of prey. It measures in length with a wingspan of . The female is larger than the male, but the difference is not as marked as with Eurasian sparrowhawk. The adult male is blue-grey above, with dark wingtips, and barred reddish below. The adult female is slate-grey above with darkish wingtips. She is barred reddish brown below, and may show a dark throat line. The juvenile is dark brown above and has dark-streaked underparts. It shows a dark throat line. It breeds in forests from Greece and the Balkans east to southern Russia. It is migratory, wintering from Egypt across to southwestern Iran. It will migrate in large flocks, unlike the more widespread Eurasian sparrowhawk. The Levant sparrowhawk nests in trees, building a new nest, lined with green leaves, each year. The normal clutch is 3–5 eggs. It hunts small birds, insects, rodents, and lizards in woodland or semi-desert areas, relying on surprise as it fli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ovampo Sparrowhawk
The Ovambo or Ovampo sparrowhawk, also known as Hilgert's sparrowhawk, (''Accipiter ovampensis'') is a species of sub-Saharan African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It takes its name from the Ovamboland in northern Namibia. Description The Ovambo sparrowhawk is a small sparrowhawk with the typical broad winged, long-tailed shape of a member of the genus ''Accipiter''. The adults have plain grey upperparts with white bars on the rump and white underparts which are finely barred with grey but with a plain white vent. The tail has three dark bars and a broad, dark subterminal band. The bill is black, contrasting with the red cere, the eyes are dark red and the legs are orange. There is a melanistic form which is all black except for the white barred flight feathers on the underwing. The juvenile is browner and may be white over the underparts and head or have a brown head and rufous underparts. Females are about 14% bigger than males, weighing in at to the males . The tota ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Collared Sparrowhawk
The collared sparrowhawk (''Accipiter cirrocephalus'') is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, New Guinea and nearby smaller islands. As its name implies the collared sparrowhawk is a specialist in hunting small birds. It is characterised by its slight brow ridges and slender feet. The last segment of their middle toe projects beyond the claws of the other toes. Description The collared sparrowhawk is 29–38 cm (tail about half ), with a wingspan 55–78 cm, the average male weighs 126 g, female 218 g. They are small, fierce, finely built with rounded wings, long square tail, yellow eyes and long legs. Adults have slate-grey upper parts, sometimes with a brown wash, and a chestnut half collar. The underparts are finely barred rufous and white. The under wing and tail are finely barred. The cere is cream to olive-yellow, the eyes yellow and the legs and feet yellow. The sexes are similar in appearance but males are smaller than fema ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk
The rufous-breasted sparrowhawk (''Accipiter rufiventris''), also known as the rufous-chested sparrowhawk and as the red-breasted sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Description A small raptor, with a height of about 30 cm and wingspan of 72 cm, the rufous-breasted sparrowhawk is named for its distinctive rufous-coloured underparts, which can be seen both perching and in flight. It is dark grey slate-brown above, including the head, with a black bill and eyes that are yellow at all ages. In flight, the bold bars on both its wings and tail are clearly visible. Juvenile plumage ranges from the rufous-color of adults to more white, but all have feathers with dark shaft streaks on their underside. It can be differentiated from the similar Ovambo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-thighed Sparrowhawk
The red-thighed sparrowhawk (''Accipiter erythropus''), alternatively known as the red-legged sparrowhawk or the western little sparrowhawk is a species of sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae from western and northern central Africa. Description A very small, dove-sized sparrowhawk with a distinctive tail pattern. The red-thighed sparrowhawk is sexually dimorphic, the males of the nominate subspecies having very dark grey upperparts with a white crescent on the lower rump which is conspicuous in flight, as are three white broken tail bars on the dark grey tail. In contrast to the blackish cheeks the throat is white with the rest of the underparts pinkish white. The vermilion eye is surrounded by a red eye ring, the cere is orange red and the legs are bright orange yellow. Males of the subspecies ''A.e. zenkeri'' have deep rufous underparts and more obvious white spots on the tail. Females are much bigger than the males, with browner upperparts and a more brownish orange eye. Ju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk
The chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk (''Accipiter castanilius'') is a small west African species of sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae. Description Chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk has blackish grey upperparts with a very distinctive pattern on the underparts; the breast and belly are heavily barred grey and brown, with chestnut colored flanks. The throat is white and the head is rather broad compared to similar species. The cere is yellow as is the thin eyering which surrounds the red eye. Females and juveniles are browner. They sit tall and have a wingspan of . Distribution The chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk occurs in west central Africa from southern Nigeria through Cameroon and Gabon to Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to occur in the Upper Guinean forests west of Nigeria but this has not been confirmed. Habitat The chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk is found mainly in lowland tropical rainforest, mainly in the middle storey but it can adapt to dense secondary growth and will a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anjouan Sparrowhawk
The Anjouan sparrowhawk (''Accipiter francesiae pusillus''), also known as Anjouan Island sparrowhawk, Ndzuwani goshawk or Joanna Island goshawk is a subspecies of Frances's sparrowhawk (''Accipiter francesiae''). It is endemic to the Comoros island of Anjouan. It was thought to be extinct until searches in the 1980s and in 2005 confirmed that it is still extant. Description Both sexes of the Anjouan sparrowhawk resemble the male of the nominate race of Frances's sparrowhawk from Madagascar, but are markedly smaller and lack most of the barring on the underside. Males have a wingspan of and a tail long, while females are larger, having a wingspan of and a tail length of . Both sexes have white underparts, grey upperparts, dark-greyish wings, and dark barring on the tail. Status Due to extensive hunting and habitat loss during the 20th century, the Anjouan sparrowhawk became extremely rare by the late 1950s. Only one individual was found in a month-long survey in 1958 and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frances's Sparrowhawk
Frances's sparrowhawk (''Accipiter francesiae'') is a small bird of prey. The nominate subspecies, ''A. f. francesiae'', is endemic to Madagascar, the other subspecies are found in the Comoro Islands. The name commemorates Lady Frances Cole (died 1847), wife of the Cape Colony governor Lowry Cole. Habitat The Frances's sparrowhawk is found in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. They live in dense forests, large gardens, parks and coconut plantations. They live mostly on the edges of forests. Description It is grey with a light belly. It has orange eyes and feet, a yellow cere and a black beak. The size of each hawk varies from 28 – 35 cm for a male and 104 – 140 g for a female 112 – 185 g and their wingspan is around 40 – 54 cm. The races from the Comoro Islands are smaller and more rufous than the nominate from Madagascar. Behaviour Diet The hawks feed on a range of prey including mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, and large insects. They knock small mammals, l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
