expansion drive

 Black Sparrowhawks

- JULIUS KOEN

A medium-sized raptor, the Black Sparrowhawk is classified as of Least Concern by The 2015 Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, thanks to the expansion of its range and an increase in its breeding density in certain areas. It preys on a variety of small and large birds, up to the size of guineafowl and geese.

In sub-Saharan Africa it is a relatively common and widespread species, but in South Africa it used to be restricted mostly to well-developed forest and woodland with suitable trees of a specific density and height for breeding, largely in the eastern half of the country. Some of the areas where it now occurs – and breeds – were previously unsuitable because they lacked the requisite tree cover. However, man-made changes such as the planting of exotic trees for forestry, the increase in these species outside

plantations and the maturing of gardens in towns and cities have altered the landscape, opening up new areas that fulfil the sparrowhawk’s requirements.