Pale Chanting Goshawk
Melierax canorus
The Pale Chanting Goshawk (Melierax canorus) is a uncommon kites, old world vultures, eagles, and hawk found in 7 countries, weighing about 663 g. The pale chanting goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
About the Pale Chanting Goshawk
The pale chanting goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This hawk breeds in southern Africa and is a resident species of dry, open semi-desert with 75 cm or less annual rainfall. It is commonly seen perched on roadside telephone poles.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This species is approximately 55 cm in length with a wingspan of 110 cm. The adult has grey upperparts with a white rump. The central tail feathers are black tipped with white and the outer tail feathers are barred grey and white. The head and upper breast are pale grey while the rest of the underparts are finely barred in dark grey and white. The eyes are dark brown in the adult and pale yellow in the immature. The bill is red at the base and dark grey at the tip. The cere, facial skin and long legs are also red.
What the Pale Chanting Goshawk sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Uganda.
When to see it
The Pale Chanting Goshawk can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Pale Chanting Goshawk?
- This species is approximately 55 cm in length with a wingspan of 110 cm. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Pale Chanting Goshawk?
- The Pale Chanting Goshawk is a large sized bird weighing about 663 g.
- Where can you see a Pale Chanting Goshawk?
- The Pale Chanting Goshawk occurs in 7 countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
- What does a Pale Chanting Goshawk sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Pale Chanting Goshawk on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Pale Chanting Goshawk?
- The Pale Chanting Goshawk is most easily confused with the Dark Chanting Goshawk and the Eastern Chanting Goshawk.
- Is the Pale Chanting Goshawk endangered?
- The Pale Chanting Goshawk is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Pale Chanting Goshawk for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.