In July 2025 we'd spent the night at the Nkima Forest Lodge and were being driven down to the Mabamba Swamp off Lake Victoria near Entebbe, Uganda when I noticed a hawk standing on a telephone line. I asked the driver to stop so I could get a photo. The light was bad and the bird was bathed in shadow, but later I was happy to have the photo. I love the name.
The upperparts, head and breast are gray. It has a white throat with a vertical black line that is unique from all other raptors. It has a white belly with fine dark barring, the tail is black with a white tip and a single white band. The cere and legs are red to orange-red.
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| Illustration from Birds of the World. |
Contrary to the name, they eat lots of grasshoppers and termites and rodents provide the greatest bulk of their diet. They also eat frogs, snakes, and yes, lizards.
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| Range from Birds of the World. |
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