Accipiter brevipes (Levant Sparrowhawk)

Scientific name: Accipiter brevipes (Severtzov, 1850)

Bird group: Birds-of-prey

Field characters. Length 32-38 cm; wingspan 64-80 cm. Both sexes have red-brown eyes and longer pointed wings than Eurasian Sparrowhawk; tail has 6 or more bars (4-5 in Sparrowhawk). Male well distinguishable having white underwings with black feathertips. Neck, mantle and upperwing blue-grey; cheeks grey, sides of neck orange. Underparts appear completely white but provided with ochre wash (actually very fine bars) on breast and flanks, contrasting with white underwings. Female usually difficult to distinguish from female Sparrowhawk except for pointed wings; in close view, note more uniform face (lacks pale throat and supercilium of Sparrowhawk), more brownish upperparts, and finer barring on breast. Juvenile has underparts streaked with dark brown drop-like spots (juvenile Sparrowhawk is barred).

Voice. Utters a distinctive, high-pitched 'kevick'.

Distribution. Scarce summer visitor.

Habitat. Forests and wooded valleys.

Food. Searches for prey while flying at moderate heights, taking mainly ground-living animals like large insects, reptiles, mice, songbirds and bats.

Eggs. Ground colour pale blue-green/pale grey-green. Usually uniform, sometimes with faint pale green, pale grey, or pale brown marks. Texture fine granular, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/short subelliptical. Size 40 x 32 mm (37-40 x 29-34), weight 22 g.

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