close quarters

Accipiters and Cape Buzzards breeding on the Cape Peninsula

- MARGARET MACIVER

Rob Little’s article ‘Space In-vaders’ (July/August 2020 issue) detailed the tussle among three Accipiter species (Black and Rufousbreasted sparrowhawks and African Goshawk) nesting on the Cape Peninsula. Rob’s account described what I too was witnessing in the remnant of a pine plantation in Tokai, outside Cape Town. Before the majority of the plantation was felled, each species had more than one nest and they all had sufficient space to avoid conflict.

Now that only 25.5 hectares of the plantation remains, a space race between the species is evident. Fortunately, since Black Sparrowhawks in the Western Cape breed in winter, they are usually teaching their offspring to hunt by the time the Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawks and African Goshawks begin their summer breeding season.