First nesting records for Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus in the Northern Cape, South Africa

Julius H Koen,Brian W Culver

doi:10.15641/bo.1187

Abstract

Black sparrowhawks Accipiter melanoleucus have expanded their range westwards into areas previously unsuitable due to a lack of ap-propriate tree cover. They now occur in areas where exotic trees (mainly Eucalyptus and Pinus species) have become established: for-estry plantations, urban areas and infestations along rivers. This pa-per reports the status of black sparrowhawks in the Northern Cape, and the discovery of two nests in Pinus plantations close to Nieu-woudtville in 2019. It is likely that this area was colonised from the Western Cape.

Highlights

Black sparrowhawks Accipiter melanoleucus are recent arrivals in certain parts of South Africa (Curtis and Koeslag 2004; Tate 2016)
As a mostly forest and well-developed woodland species (Curtis et al 2005; Curtis et al 2007) they were restricted to areas with suitable trees of a specific density and height for breeding (Malan and Robinson 2001), largely in the eastern half of South Africa
Some of the areas where they occur, and breed, were previously unsuitable due to a lack of appropriate tree cover. These areas have been altered due to human-induced changes such as the planting of exotic trees (Eucalyptus and Pinus spp.) for forestry purposes, the proliferation of these species outside of designated forestry areas, and the development of urban gardens (Curtis and Koeslag 2004; Wreford 2014). It was only from the 1950’s that they established in some numbers on the Cape Peninsula with the first breeding records from about 1993 to the late 1990’s (Oettlé 1994; Curtis and Koeslag 2004; Curtis et al 2007)

Summary

Introduction

Black sparrowhawks Accipiter melanoleucus are recent arrivals in certain parts of South Africa (Curtis and Koeslag 2004; Tate 2016). As a mostly forest and well-developed woodland species (Curtis et al 2005; Curtis et al 2007) they were restricted to areas with suitable trees of a specific density and height for breeding (Malan and Robinson 2001), largely in the eastern half of South Africa. The Cape Peninsula previously consisted of various, mostly treeless, Fynbos vegetation types with scattered Afromontane Forest patches, making it largely unsuitable for black sparrowhawks.

Results

Conclusion