How Does the Gabar Goshawk in Uganda Look Like?

The Gabar Goshawk in Uganda is one of the African Uganda birds seen during a Uganda birding safari. It is a small species of African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae Gabar Goshawk is smaller than other Goshawks.

Scientifically known as Micronisus gabar, the Gabar Goshawk is small bird species of Arabian and African bird of prey which is accommodated by the Accipitridae family. This Goshawk bird species appears in two forms that are distinct and fluctuates across the geographic range of species in a relative and abundance form hence a polymorphic bird species.

Physical description of the Gabar Goshawk

Gabar Goshawk is characterised with a more frequent and paler grey coloured upperparts having conspicuous. It bares a barring white and grey coloured chest, underwings and thighs along with a whitish rump.

This bird species features a barred dark grey tail and an overall and completely black body. The Gabar Goshawk species is comprised with dark eyes and long red legs together with red cere in both adults bird species.

The immature Gabar Goshawk is characterised with yellowish long legs and cere hence having a generally browner layer of feathers or plumage. Paler bird species comprise of the chest that is untidier barring than that of the adult.

Female Gabar Goshawk is generally larger in body size than the male Goshawk species from where the female has a mass weight that ranges from 167 to 240 grams while the male is also characterised with a mass weight ranging from 90 to 174 grams. This bird species features a body length that measures about 28 to 36 centimeters with a wide wing spanning over 63 centimeters.

Behaviour of the Gabar Goshawk

Gabar Goshawk generally inhabits the open woodland, broad leaved woodland and mostly Acacia Savannah hence being distributed in sub Saharan Africa including Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa which also extends to Arabian Peninsula.

This Gabar Goshawk is basically a sedentrary bird species although the immature bird is somehow nomadic hence also a migratory birdspecies due to small movements that are recorded in its part of the range.

Generally, the Gabar Goshawk is a solitary bird of prey which usually spends its time alone however it also forms pairs particularly during the season of breeding.

During the hunting process, the Gabar Goshawk species feeds on small birds, reptiles, small mammals and occassionally insects. It flushes its prey from trees which it catches following an energetic and persistent pursuit.

While hunting, the Gabar Goshawk hunts from a perch where it swoops down hence catching the prey in flight and off the ground.

Breeding and reproduction process of the Gabar Goshawk

During the breeding season, the male Gabar Goshawk often pursues the female bird species by uttering a loud call from a perch or through trees. Here the breeding nest is constructed by both partners and it is usually a small platform made up of thin twigs and placed up high in the acacia or crown of a thorny tree in a vertical fork.

The nest is also covered with spider webs which do help in camouflaging it and also do consume the arthropods that would harm or parasitize the chicks.

While in the reproduction period that occurs from July to December, the female Gabar Goshawk lays a clutch of two to four eggs which are incubated by the female for a period of about 33 to 38 days. This laying season peaks in September to November.

After hatching has occured, the chicks are brooded and taken care of by the mother for the first 19 to 21 days as the male bird species provides the food for her to feed the chicks. The chicks fledge and leave the nest at about 35 to 36 days old after hatching hence later becoming fully independent after one month.