Beautiful hawk on the hunt
The hawk that was photographed while hunting for birds in Somerset Street in Graaff-reinet on 10 July, is an African harrier-hawk.
Gerald Klerk told the he was on his way to town when he spotted the specialist nest robber.
"As I walked out of the office I saw the hawk catching smaller birds at the top of a tree. I ran back to my office, grabbed my camera and took some photos."
The Advertiser posted photos of the hawk on Facebook and asked people to identify the species. All agreed that it has to be an African harrier-hawk.
Alan Collet, a specialist in identifying, following and noting the behavior of birds, said the African harrier-hawk is not rare, but fairly uncommon in Graaff-reinet.
Leonie Fouché, a member of birding clubs such as Eastern Cape Birding, said that the hawk is usually found in high trees near Botanics and the Urquhart Caravan Park
"There are about two or three breeding pairs in town," Colette said. "They target small birds and nests for eggs, and also love to catch lizards. Their legs make hunting easier, which are double-jointed from the knee."
Collet explained that they were previously called Gymnogene and that many older birders still call them that. She said they are not aggressive birds, but they have to eat.
"They have broad wings so they can fly slowly past trees, and check for nests. When they find one they will pull the chicks out or eat the eggs. They are 63cm from the tip of beak to the tip of the tail and weigh 750 grams."
Collet described them as interesting, beautiful birds, worthy of our respect and protection.