Gallery
MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay photographer Johan Swanepoel took these photographs of a bird above Santos Beach on Saturday, 1 July.
He took the photographs from Sixth Avenue. The bird has been in that area since April.
Mossel Bay Advertiser confirmed with a respected birder, it is a juvenile African harrier hawk.
PHOTO GALLERY: The African harrier hawk
Wikipedia notes that African harrier hawks are a common raptor south of the Sahara, mostly found in the tropical regions of western Africa and less common in East Africa and South Africa. They are adaptable in their habitat preferences, occupying the following habitats in the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve in the Central African Republic: thick rainforest, forest edge, riparian areas, agricultural land and human-occupied areas.
African harrier hawks live in both urban and rural human-occupied areas and are one of the most common raptor species in rural villages of eastern Guinea-Bissau, according to Wikipedia.
They are known to breed in palm trees in cities and urban gardens. Adults are 60 to 66cm long.
Photo: Johan Swanepoel
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
