In the north eastern part of South Africa, it is estimated that there are about 1000 pairs of African-Harrier Hawk.
Most of these are concentrated in the Waterberg, Kruger National Park and Limpopo National Park.
While on safari with Vula Safaris, you can quite easily come across one of the birds. In this blog, we’re going to break down what they look like and some of the habits. When you are next on a Kruger Park safari, be sure to keep a look out for the African-Harrier Hawk.
Personality and Prey
The African-Harrier Hawk is hated by most other birds as it is a nestling raider.
It specializes in flying very slowly, almost hovering while it scans the ground for its prey. Although it is not a big bird (60-66cm in height, it has a wingspan of 1.50-1.7 meters) when it swoops down its broad wings give it the impression of being a large predator.
It also has a unique leg structure. It has double jointed knees, enabling it to grab victims from deep inside holes, cracks, and crevices. Another interesting characteristic of the African-Harrier Hawk is that it does not have feathers on its face like other raptors. When it gets excited its yellow face turns red, as if it is blushing.
The African-Harrier Hawk preys on the nestlings and eggs of a wide variety of birds. They are also known to eat snakes and lizards as well as squirrels and frogs. When the African-Harrier flies in low looking for prey, you will often find it gets mobbed by other birds in an attempt to protect their nests. It frequently raids weaver colonies.
This hawk not only hunts from the wing but can also be seen walking along on the ground in search of eggs in the sandbanks or examining holes in the earth for frogs or small mammals.
Breeding Habits
The African-Harrier Hawk courts its mate in the air. At the start of the breeding season, you will see the pair soaring together, often diving and swooping, accompanied by long drawn out whistles.
After that they will glide together to the nest area. Both the male and the female African-Harrier Hawk build their nest and it is usually made from sticks and lined with green leaves. Two eggs are usually laid and it is a joint effort to incubate the eggs.
The incubation period is about 35 days, with the eggs hatching at different intervals. The younger sibling usually dies of starvation as the older sibling takes all the food. The old sibling has also being know to kill the younger in the nest. After 45-55 days the chick will leave the nest and it will be fully independent after another 10 days.
