Systemmatic list - part 4: Raptors (2), Crakes and Gallinules
African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus [2]
2 Lake Chilwa 15th, one of which was repeatedly gathering nesting material from close to where we were waiting for the boat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
African Marsh Harrier gathering nesting material, Lake Chilwa, 15th May 2011
|
|
African Harrier-Hawk (Gymnogene) Polyboroides typus [3-5]
1 Lengwe 21st and 1-2 daily Liwonde 25th-27th.
|
|
|
|
|
|
African Harrier-Hawk, Liwonde, 26th May 2011
|
|
|
|
|
African Harrier-Hawk, Lengwe, 21st May 2011
|
|
Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus [1]
2 Lake Chilwa 15th, 1 between Zomba and Malosa 17th, 1 Lengwe 21st and 1 between Lilongwe and Dzalanyama 22nd.
|
|
|
Lizard Buzzard, Lengwe, 21st May 2011
|
|
African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro [1]
1 Lengwe 20th remained sat at a drinking pool for the whole time we were there, so I didn't see it in flight. I think the combination of features visible in the photos nail it as this species, but let me know if you agree or disagree.
|
|
|
African Goshawk, Lengwe, 20th May 2011
|
|
Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus [1]
1 Dzalanyama 24th - again primarily identified from what's visible in the photos, though I did see this one in flight very briefly and got the impression it had some white on the rump and/or the upper tail. Let me know what you think about my ID! There was also a small unidentified accipiter in the same area the day before.
|
|
|
Little Sparrowhawk, Dzalanyama, 24th May 2011 - a feature not visible in this photo but evident from another out-of-focus photo was the yellow cere - is this ID correct?
|
|
Augur Buzzard Buteo augur [3]
3 between Dedza and Liwonde 25th.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Augur Buzzards, between Dedza and Liwonde, 25th May 2011
|
|
African Hawk Eagle Aquila spilogaster [5]
2 Zomba Plateau 17th and 3 between Cape Maclear and Mangochi 19th. Only tentatively identified at the time but I think the photos support this ID - let me know what you think!
|
|
|
|
|
|
African Hawk Eagles, south of Cape Maclear, 19th May 2011
|
|
Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus [2]
1 along the road out of Cape Maclear 19th and 2 juveniles Lengwe 20th.
|
|
|
Martial Eagle, Lengwe, 20th May 2011
|
|
|
|
|
Martial Eagle, south of Cape Maclear, 19th May 2011
|
|
Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis [2]
2 Zomba Plateau 16th (one above Ku Chawe and the other on the NE side) and 1 Zomba 19th (on a roadside pole).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-crested Eagles, Zomba Plateau, 16th May 2011
|
|
Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni [1-2]
Single(s) Liwonde 25th and 26th.
|
|
|
Dickinson's Kestrel, Liwonde, 25th May 2011
|
|
Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera [2]
2 Liwonde 27th.
|
|
|
Red-necked Falcon, Liwonde, 27th May 2011
|
|
Lanner Falco biarmicus [1+]
2 large Falcons Zomba Plateau 16th and 1 Chongoni 25th. At the time I was confident that the Zomba pair were Peregrines Falco pereginus. I initially favoured Peregine for the distant Chongoni bird too, but in the end felt it was almost certainly a Lanner Falco biarmicus, and I then started to wonder about the Zomba birds too. I am not very familiar with Lanner and had expected them to be more obviously structurally different from Peregrines. Lanner is the commoner species in Malawi.
Unfortunately I am not able to settle the ID from the poor photos, but perhaps you can...? Please email me if you think these are identifiable!
The locally breeding form of Peregrine in Malawi is race minor but the larger and paler calidus has occurred on passage. Lanners in Malawi belong to the nominate race.
Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostra [6]
1 Lake Chilwa 15th and 1-3 Liwonde 25th-27th.
|
|
|
Black Crake, Liwonde, 27th May 2011
|
|
African Purple Swamphen (Purple Gallinule) Porphyrio (porphyrio) madagascariensis [2]
2 heard at Lake Chilwa 15th. Despite being just a few feet away from the boat they refused to show their faces!
The African form madagascariensis is now treated as a distinct species from other Purple Swamphens by many authorities.
Moorhen (Common Moorhen) Gallinula chloropus [1]
1 Lake Chilwa 15th.
The race that occurs in Malawi and much of tropical Africa is meridionalis. Many authorities now separate the Nearctic Moorhens as a different species but so far as I am aware meridionalis is still lumped with Palaearctic birds, despite several minor differences.
|
|
|
Moorhen, Lake Chilwa, 15th May 2011
|
|
Or here to return to the start of the sytemmatic list
