Eastern Chanting Goshawk
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Chanting Goshawk or Somali Chanting Goshawk (Melierax poliopterus) is a bird of prey of East Africa
.
(widespread to the west and south) and the Pale Chanting Goshawk
(southern Africa) in color, size, and leg length, but not in range. It has often been considered a subspecies of the latter, but because of this disparity between geography and characters, it is now considered a separate species, as agreed by many authorities.
but the tail is shorter and graduated (the feathers increase in length from the edges to the center), and the wings are broader.
Adults have grey head, neck, breast, and upperparts, except for the white or lightly barred upppertail coverts. The belly has narrow grey and white bars and the undertail coverts are white. The belly and wing linings are white, the secondaries are light grey, and the primaries are dark, giving an impression from below of a white bird with grey head and dark wingtips. The tail is blackish above and white below with grey bars. The cere is yellow, and the legs are orange-red. Juveniles are dull brown above with a pale stripe over the eye. They have white underparts with brown streaks on the throat and breast, brown bars on the belly coverts, and faint or no barring on the undertail coverts. The tail is brown with widely spaced darker brown bars. The rump is white, partially barred or unmarked. They are indistinguishable from some juvenile Dark Chanting Goshawk
s except for the less barred undertail coverts and rump. Also, the legs are slightly longer at all ages than the Dark Chanting Goshawk's.
, Djibouti
, western Somalia
, eastern Kenya
, northeastern Tanzania
, and adjacent Uganda
.
Its calls are "a melodious piping whee-pee-pee-pee, and a long high-pitched kleee-yeu", slightly lower-pitched than those of the Dark Chanting Goshawk, or "peeu-peeu-peeu-pee-pee-pee-pee..." in the nesting season, the source of its name.
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
.
Taxonomy
This species is intermediate between the smaller Dark Chanting GoshawkDark Chanting Goshawk
The Dark Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The Accipitridae also include many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers....
(widespread to the west and south) and the Pale Chanting Goshawk
Pale Chanting Goshawk
The Pale Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.This hawk breeds in southern Africa. It is a resident species of dry, open semi-desert with 75 cm or less annual rainfall. It is commonly seen perched on roadside telephone poles.This species is 56–65 cm long. The...
(southern Africa) in color, size, and leg length, but not in range. It has often been considered a subspecies of the latter, but because of this disparity between geography and characters, it is now considered a separate species, as agreed by many authorities.
Description
This species averages 49 to 55 cm long, with a wingspan of 96 to 110 cm and a tail length of 20 to 25 cm. Males average 85% of the size of females. Like the other chanting goshawks, it resembles an accipiterAccipiter
The genus Accipiter is a group of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, many of which are named as goshawks and sparrowhawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large...
but the tail is shorter and graduated (the feathers increase in length from the edges to the center), and the wings are broader.
Adults have grey head, neck, breast, and upperparts, except for the white or lightly barred upppertail coverts. The belly has narrow grey and white bars and the undertail coverts are white. The belly and wing linings are white, the secondaries are light grey, and the primaries are dark, giving an impression from below of a white bird with grey head and dark wingtips. The tail is blackish above and white below with grey bars. The cere is yellow, and the legs are orange-red. Juveniles are dull brown above with a pale stripe over the eye. They have white underparts with brown streaks on the throat and breast, brown bars on the belly coverts, and faint or no barring on the undertail coverts. The tail is brown with widely spaced darker brown bars. The rump is white, partially barred or unmarked. They are indistinguishable from some juvenile Dark Chanting Goshawk
Dark Chanting Goshawk
The Dark Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The Accipitridae also include many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers....
s except for the less barred undertail coverts and rump. Also, the legs are slightly longer at all ages than the Dark Chanting Goshawk's.
Distribution and habitat
It occurs in semidesert, dry bush, and wooded grassland below 2000 m in southern EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
, western Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, eastern Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, northeastern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, and adjacent Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Behavior
The Eastern Chanting Goshawk is usually seen alone. It often perches on the tops of trees and utility poles. Its wingbeats are shallow and "straight-arm". It holds its wings flat, or sometimes in a V, when it glides.Its calls are "a melodious piping whee-pee-pee-pee, and a long high-pitched kleee-yeu", slightly lower-pitched than those of the Dark Chanting Goshawk, or "peeu-peeu-peeu-pee-pee-pee-pee..." in the nesting season, the source of its name.