Vorstman's Guideto the birds of Southern Africa

All species › Birds of prey › Hawks, eagles and kites

Hawks, eagles and kites | Accipitridae

Havikachtigen | Águilas, milanos y afines

All members share the same equipment: a hooked bill without the tooth falcons carry in the cutting edge, a powerful four-toed foot with sharp talons for holding prey or carrion, and broad wings with spread primary tips for gaining height on thermals, the tail serving as a rudder. They build a stick nest or take over someone else's, and lay small clutches of one to a few eggs, incubated mainly by the female while the male brings in the food. The eggs hatch one after another, so the young differ in size; they are fed on torn-off scraps and do not fledge for weeks. After that they wear a distinct juvenile plumage for one or more years, which makes putting a name to a bird harder in this family than in most other groups.

Native species 52 species

Species that occur here by nature: breeding birds, winter visitors and passage migrants. They are arranged by genus, in the sequence of the list.

Accipiter 2 species

Aerospiza 1 species

Aquila 5 species

Astur 1 species

Aviceda 1 species

Buteo 6 species

Circaetus 4 species

Circus 5 species

Clanga 1 species

Elanus 1 species

Gypaetus 1 species

Gypohierax 1 species

Gyps 2 species

Hieraaetus 3 species

Icthyophaga 1 species

Kaupifalco 1 species

Lophaetus 1 species

Macheiramphus 1 species

Melierax 2 species

Micronisus 1 species

Milvus 1 species

Necrosyrtes 1 species

Pernis 1 species

Polemaetus 1 species

Polyboroides 1 species

Stephanoaetus 1 species

Tachyspiza 2 species

Terathopius 1 species

Torgos 1 species

Trigonoceps 1 species

Vagrants 2 species

Birds blown in from other continents. They have no range here, and so no distribution map.