| Description |
top is a slate-gray; chestnut red tail and grayish-white and black barring on the secondaries; underparts are either entirely white, entirely black, or white with a black throat and chest; beak is yellow with gray at the end; long, broad wings; compact body; dark eyes; fan-shaped tail |
| Sex |
females are larger than, and have a lower pitched call than males; most females have black bibs on their throats and most males have white |
| Age |
first year juveniles are brown where the adults are black, and they are beige where the adults are white, and have a dark barred tail |
| Length |
20-22" |
| Wingspan |
2.5-3" |
| Weight |
1.9-2.9 lbs. |
| Habitat |
open moorland country, mountains, forest glades, inland cliffs, cultivation and baobab country (baobab is a type of tree); open woodland, savannas and grasslands |
| Status |
most common raptor throughout most of its range; common in the African highlands but less common in Central Africa |
| Range |
highlands and plains of East Africa; occasionally in the Central African plains |
| Behavior |
hunt from trees, electricity pylons or telegraph posts along the road; non-migratory; very territorial during the breeding season and their breeding displays are usually done in the air; the nests are built by both adults either on cliffs or in trees; 1-3 eggs are laid and hatched at intervals, causing violent inter-sibling problems; usually only 1 chick survives long enough to fledge; adapt well to cultivated areas and areas of dense human habitation |
| Diet |
very variable; small grasshoppers to large snakes; small birds, insects, carrion; reptiles and rodents make up the majority |
| Vocalization |
a ringing, wild, far-carrying "guang-guang" |
| Other Information |
- They are the cousin of our red-tailed hawk and is also known as the African red-tailed hawk |
