Gabar Goshawk ( Melierax gabar, family: Accipitridae)

gabar goshawk kruger national park birds The Gabar Goshawk (Latin name Melierax gabar) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 161 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 511 also a picture of the Gabar Goshawk on page 433. The Gabar Goshawk belongs to the family of birds classified as Accipitridae.

The Robert's 7 Latin name for Giant Kingfisher has changed from Megaceryle maxima in Robert's 6 to Megaceryle maximus

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Gabar Goshawk is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.

In terms of distribution of the Gabar Goshawk in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Gabar Goshawk : see above distribution map.

Gabar Goshawk Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

The Gabar Goshawk is a bird a little bit bigger than a starling. The height of the Gabar Goshawk is about 36 cms and its weight is about 135 gms

The male and female Gabar Goshawk have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is grey.
  • Eye is red.
  • Bill is grey.
  • Throat is brown, white.
  • Back is black.
  • Legs are red.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Gabar Goshawk feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly

Reptiles

Other Birds

Smaller animals

Invertebrates

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Gabar Goshawk is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Melierax gabar will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Gabar Goshawk is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are blue in colour and number between 2 to 4

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Gabar Goshawk are: woodlands and arid areas. Comments about the Gabar Goshawk :diet mostly other birds.

You can expect to see Gabar Goshawk in flocks, or pairs or as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... Unknown

Afrikaans ...Witkruissperwer (Kleinsingvalk)

German ... Gabarhabicht

Portuguese ... Gavio-palrador

French ... Autour gabar

Dutch ... Gabarhavik

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 161

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za