African Harrier-hawk Polyboroides typus
(aka African Gymnogene)
African Harrier Hawk, Mole, Ghana, June 2011 - click for larger image

Ghana & Ethiopia

The African Harrier-hawk is distributed throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in forest, woodland and wooded savanna.

Adult and juvenile African Harrier Hawk, Kakum, Ghana, May 2011 - click for larger image In flight the adult shows grey wings with black tips and a black tail with white bar. Note also the small head with yellow to orange cere and the fine black barring on the belly. The juvenile is brown with streaked throat, barred belly and tail.

They feed on small mammals, birds, nestlings and eggs, lizards and insects. They have very flexible legs which allows them to raid nests, etc., that would normally be difficult to access.

Juvenile African Harrier Hawk, Kakum, Ghana, May 2011 - click for larger image There is an excellent page on this species at ARKive.
African Harrier Hawk, Awash Falls, Ethiopia, January 2016 - click for larger image
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