African Cuckoo-Hawk vs Black Baza

African Cuckoo-Hawk

Aviceda cuculoides

Medium277 gForest

The African cuckoo-hawk weighs 220–296 grams (0.48–0.65 lb) and has a wingspan of 91 cm (35 inches). The male is blackish-brown above with a grey mantle and chest with a blackish crest, the underparts are white marked with broad chestnut bars. The tail is black with three grey bars and grey and white tip. The females are browner with paler chestnut bars on the underparts. Distinctive in flight as a small raptor with a small head with broad, narrowly rounded wings and a medium length tail. Wingspan is just over double the body length, females are slightly larger than males.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Neil Crawford from Sweden · CC BY 2.0

Black Baza

Aviceda leuphotes

Medium194 gForest

The black baza is a small and distinctively coloured raptor; it ranges from 30 to 35 cm in length, a 66 to 80 cm wingspan and a weight of 168 to 224 g. When perched, the upright crest and contrasting patterns make it difficult to misidentify. The male has white scapulars, secondary coverts and on the secondaries. The female has white only on the scapulars and more chestnut bands on the underside unlike the few bands in the male. While flying, it is similar to a crow and is often seen in small groups or flocks during migration. During migration, they are gregarious at their roost.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: NatureAtYourBackyard, Flickr User · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Cuckoo-Hawk and Black Baza.