Levant Sparrowhawk
Tachyspiza brevipes
Small, dark-eyed hawk of woodland, scrub, riparian corridors, and wooded plains and slopes. Note the adult's grayish upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females are larger and darker than males, with a dark central throat stripe. When in flight, note contrast between pale underwings and dark wingtips. Juveniles are brown above and striped below. Compared to the slightly larger Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Levant is neater-looking and more falcon-like, with more pointed wings. Also compare with very similar Shikra and various African sparrowhawks in its wintering range. Strongly migratory; often migrates in huge, tight flocks. Feeds on birds, which it catches in rapid low flight.
Identification
The Levant sparrowhawk is small for a raptor, measuring 32–38 cm (13–15 in) in length with a wingspan of 65–75 cm (26–30 in). As with all raptors, the female is larger than the male. The adult male is blue-grey above and pale below, with underparts and leg feathers finely barred in rufous and white. His head is blue-grey as well, with a white throat bisected by a dark central stripe (sometimes quite faint). The female is similar, though her plumage is generally a darker brownish-grey. Both sexes have orangish-yellow legs and a yellow cere.
Taxonomy
First described by Nikolai Alekseevich Severtzov in 1850, the Levant sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey in the genus Accipiter. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the shikra, though it differs in measurements, proportions and plumage, and breeds contiguously with the latter (typically considered a reliable indicator of speciation) over at least part of its range. Along with the shikra, the Chinese sparrowhawk and the Nicobar sparrowhawk, it makes up a complex species group. It is known to have hybridised with the shikra and the Eurasian sparrowhawk. Despite its extensive range, it has no subspecies.<p>The genus name Accipiter is a Latin word meaning "hawk" (from the Latin word accipere, meaning "to grasp"). The species name brevipes is a combination of the Latin words brevis, meaning "short" and pes, meaning "foot"; this is a reference to the bird's short toes.
- Scientific name
- Tachyspiza brevipes
- Authority
- (Severtsov, 1850)
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Tachyspiza
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : se Europe to w Kazakhstan
- Non-breeding range
- c AF
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The Levant sparrowhawk breeds from mid-May through August. The pair is territorial while breeding, often performing high-circling aerial displays. The female is thought to make the nest. She builds a new one every year, a small structure of twigs on a branch or in a fork of a broad-leaved tree. The nest tree is often near running water, typically in open woodland, on a forest edge, or in an isolated clump of trees. The nest, which measures up to 30 cm (12 in) across and 15 cm (5.9 in) deep, is lined with green leaves. Most nests are located between 5–10 m (16–33 ft) above the ground, but they have been found as low as 4 m (13 ft) and as high as 20 m (66 ft).<p>The female lays a clutch of 2–5 eggs which she alone incubates for 30–35 days. Hatching is asynchronous. Nestlings fledge some 40–45 days after hatching and are independent about 15 days later.<p>Though able to flap continually (like most birds), Levant sparrowhawks typically use soaring-and-gliding flight while migrating; they also use thermals when those are available, and are known to occasionally hover.
Conservation
Because of its vast range and stable population, the Levant Sparrowhawk is listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The development of wind farms may affect its numbers.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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