African harrier-hawk

African Harrier-hawk
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Accipitriformes
Sub-order	Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily	Accipitroidea
Family	Accipitridae
Sub-family	Polyboroidinae
Genus Information
Genus	Polyboroides
Species Information
Species	P. typus
Population statistics
Conservation status	Least concern

The African harrier-hawk or gymnogene (Polyboroides typus) is a species of bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found over much of sub-Saharan Africa.

Description

The African harrier-hawk is medium-sized, with a length of 20 to 26.8 inches, a wingspan span of 46.5 to 59.6 inches, and weighs 17.6 to 33.5 ounces. Females are slightly larger than males. The plumage overall is light gray to light gray-blue; the large, broad wings have black spots on the upper side and the leading half of both primaries and secondaries is black. The black tail bears a broad white band in the middle and a narrow white end band. The abdomen, lower tail-coverts, the leg-feathers as well as the under-wing-covers are a fine slate-gray and bear small, dark horizontal bars. The naked face with is yellow-orange with a hint of pink, the beak is slate-gray. An erectile hood is at the back of the head, which adds to the mass of feathers there, making the head look small compared to the body. The long, yellow legs are very flexible, and the intertarsal joint can be moved 70° to the rear and 30° to the side. Young birds are variable light brown to dark brown and have a gray face, gaining their adult plumage in about three years.

Subspecies

• Polyboroides typus pectoralis; Senegambia to western Sudan, Niger and D. R. Congo
• Polyboroides typus typus; eastern Sudan to Eritrea, south to Angola and South Africa

Range and habitat

The African harrier-hawk is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, and south to Namibia and South Africa to the south. Although it is a sedentary species in many areas, the African harrier-hawk can do seasonal movements in some regions of western Africa and may have a nomadic behavior in parts of southern Africa.

It mainly lives in forests, wooded areas, wooded savannahs, flat plains, and areas of high riparian vegetation and wooded ravines, up to altitudes of about 9,000 feet. In places where the forest extends over a large area, the African harrier-hawk generally meets at the edge of the forest, in clearings or near rivers, and also easily adapts to partially deforested areas and plantations, in particular oil palm tree groves.

Diet

The African harrier-hawk feeds on lizards, snakes, insects, small mammals, bird eggs, as fruit of the oil palm. They find their prey from flight close to the ground, or by climbing along tree trunks and running on branches. While on tree it will investigate holes and cavities for prey, holding on to a nest or cave opening with one leg and poking the head inside to search; if prey is found it will grab it with the free foot and remove it. They have been seen preying on the young of hamerkop, as well as searching large hamerkop nests for other species which have made nests there. On large hanging nests such as those made by weaver birds, it will often hanging upside down while searching.

Reproduction

African harrier-hawks nest in canopy treetops, sometimes in rock crevices. The nest consists of branches and twigs, with soft plants used for lining and padding. The female lays one to two light brown, dark speckled eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 35 to 36 days, with the male providing food. The birds fledge after 45 to 55 days and stay close to their parents for several months.