Name the Bird to Win the Wine 2

Posted Wed, 1 Apr 2009 (3 years ago)

We recently asked readers to name a bird from a photograph taken by Portfolio CEO Liz Westby-Nunn in order to win a gift set of wine from Kanu. Brent was the well-informed winner that time round - here's another chance for those who missed out.

This, we know, is a type of hawk - but which one is it?

The pictures were taken by Jolene (Portfolio Online) out of our office window where this chap spent a lot of time over the past few months. He had a mate nesting nearby. Our local squirrel population went into hiding and have only recently reappeared, looking skinnier and 'skitsier' than ever, poor things.

The photos were taken through glass, and with a camera phone, so are not very clear... but we're sure the twitches out there will rise to the challange.

So tell us in the comment section, below, what kind of hawk our fine feathered friend is, and the first correct answer gets the 2 bottles of fine South African Wine from Kanu.

Please note this is, unfortunately, only open to readers in Cape Town.

Kanu is the ideal sponsor for these Name the Bird competitions:

"Legend has it that when Kanu, the mythical bird of promise, appeared in the Southern African skies, all who fell under its shadow would be blessed with a bountiful harvest.

Today, Kanu Wines continue to celebrate this legend as a leading wine producer alongside sister winery Mulderbosch. Under the guidance of talented cellarmaster Richard Kershaw, Kanu Wines has built a reputation as pioneers of award-winning, world-class chenin blanc."

Kanu wine estate is situated on the Vlottenburg Road (M12) between Stellenbosch and Kuilsrivier. Visitors are welcome to sample our range of wines at the wine-tasting centre.

10 Responses to Name the Bird to Win the Wine 2

I'm more of a Flight of the FishEagle man, myself, but...
Black-shouldered kite?

By 6000 (3 years ago)

Hmm...What a co-incidence!
Here's a photo I shot in the Rievlei Dam nature reserve in Pretoria, a year or two ago, that I'm pretty certain is the same make.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreinafrica/366702369/

My guy was doing a hover/dive/swoop/circle show for me when I took the picture.
I spent a good couple of hours poring over a twitcher mate's books, trying to ID him, but I wasn't fully confident that I'd nailed it, as a Steppe Buzzard, afterward. I later enlisted the help of a accomplished professional hunter, and he was more inclined to say that it was a female Eastern Red-Footed Falcon, possibly juvenile (talon colour had him beaten :)

So, now it's crunch time, with wine on the line...Serious pressure!
And, showing trademark disregard for the experts (!) I'm going to go with a Steppe Buzzard.

We'll see.. ;)

By André van Rooyen (3 years ago)

Sorry Andre, I have to disagree.
It's definitely not a mature Steppe Buzzard, because their markings are horizontal and I doubt if this is an immature one, because Steppe Buzzards tend to have less markings higher up on their chests.
This bird is very well marked on its chest while its underbelly seems less marked.
It's also not really their habitat.
You'll find them on electricity posts and farm fences a fair bit away from the urban sprawl.
Because they are quite large, they're not well suited for wooded urban area's and tend to stick to the open veldt.

My guess:
The long slender tail, points to a maneuverable bird, suited for flying in wooded and urban area's.
It's obviously also not a tiny bird (like the kestrels).
That narrows it down to the goshawks and falcons.

The dark vertical markings, yellowish feet and the white underbelly excludes quite a few mature birds and leaves us with:
Immature African Goshawk
Immature Lanner Falcon
Immature Hobby Falcon

The uneven markings and the body position tells me it's not an African Goshawk (they usually sit very upright and have much longer legs)
I don't see the russet crown you'd expect on a Lanner and would therefore guess that this is an Immature Hoby Falcon.

If it is - you guys are very fortunate, because the Hoby Falcon is a summer visitor which is quite rare and difficult to spot.

All said, I would not bet my house on it.
The lack of dark streaks coming down into the neck and the fact that the 'blodges' go up quite high, does make one think that it might be a Lanner Falcon.

One never knows with teenagers these days....

By Tinus le Roux (3 years ago)

Maybe Juvenile Black Harrier?

By Alex Bond-Smith (3 years ago)

OK - so our birding expert has told us that while one of you has come close, no one has yet hit the nail on the head - we're extending the deadline till tomorrow and then, if no one else gets it, the closest call above will be winning the wine :-)

By Joy (3 years ago)

This is a response that I got from trevor Hardaker, a top Ornothologist in the Western Cape.

Hi John,

Assuming this was taken locally in Cape Town, this is a juvenile African Goshawk. The photos are not the greatest in terms of detail visible, but on distribution alone, there is nothing else locally that even remotely resembles this. This is clearly a raptor of the genus Accipiter judging by the overall shape of the bird and there are only 3 possible candidates locally – Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk, Black Sparrowhawk and African Goshawk. Neither of the other 2 have plumage patterns at any age that match this bird.

In reading the comments posted below the photos, I see that someone has noted immature African Goshawk as a possibility, but then eliminated it as a possibility and opted for it being a Hobby Falcon which it very clearly is not.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

Trevor

By Just John (3 years ago)

I am not an expert, but my choice would be Western Honey-buzzard. Adult pale form. Photo's not to clear.

By Anneke (3 years ago)

Thanks to all who entered!

Our expert, Lex Hes, gave the following answer:

Hello Joy,

This is a juvenile African Goshawk, identified by the pale eyebrow, the large black spots on the chest and the wide bars across the tail.

Cheers,

LEX

Which means Tinus almost had it, but Just John (with the help of his friend) takes the prize!

Congrats John - I'll be in touch to arrange about the wine :-)

By Joy (3 years ago)

Bah! Humbug!!

:))

Congrats John. Fink :))

By Andre (3 years ago)

Yay..., thanks for this.
I'll get hold of Trevor and share our spolis..

Sorry Andre.

Cheers
John

By Just John (3 years ago)