The Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) is a small-sized bird of prey of the Accipitridae family, genus Accipiter. The body of an adult Levant sparrowhawk contains blue-gray, rufous, white, and pale colors.
The adult male is blue-gray while females are brown-gray. Nikolai Alekseevich Severtzov, a Russian naturalist and explorer, first described this sparrowhawk in 1850. Even though this species differs from shikra in proportions, plumage, and measurements, they are occasionally considered a subspecies of shikra birds.
The term Accipiter is a derivation of the Latin term 'accipere', meaning 'to grasp'. The scientific name brevipes consists of two Latin elements, 'brevis' means 'short' and 'pes' means 'foot', referring to their short toes.
There are 51 recognized species in the Accipiter genus. Most species in this genus are called sparrowhawks or goshawks. Mathurin Jacques Brisson, a French zoologist, introduced Accipiter in 1760 with type species as Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus).
The Levant sparrowhawk belongs to the true hawk subfamily Accipitrinae. There are around 10 subfamilies in Accipitridae, and all the species have a cosmopolitan distribution in the world.
If you enjoyed these facts about the Levant sparrowhawk, then you may also check out fun facts on white hawk and saker falcon here at Kidadl.
Levant Sparrowhawk Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Levant sparrowhawk?
The Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) is a bird of prey of the Accipitridae family, genus Accipiter, order Accipitriformes, and phylum Chordata. A small population of this bird species travels in flocks, they hunt in pairs, and these birds are a migratory species.
This bird migrates at night and is occasionally active at twilight. There are records of hybridization of this bird with the Eurasian sparrowhawk and shikra. There are no known subspecies of this species despite the extensive Levant sparrowhawk range map.
What class of animal does a Levant sparrowhawk belong to?
The Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) belongs to the class of Aves of animals.
How many Levant sparrowhawks are there in the world?
The exact population count of Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) birds in the world is not known. However, the estimated population count of breeding pairs in Armenia is around 180-200. According to Birdlife International, the population of breeding individuals of these raptors is 10,000-19,999 in the world.
Where does a Levant sparrowhawk live?
The Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) occupies a breeding range in south-east Europe from the Balkans and Greece, east through to southern Russia. As this bird is migratory, the wintering range of this population includes Egypt and extends across southwestern Iran.
What is a Levant sparrowhawk's habitat?
The Levant sparrowhawk range of habitats includes forests and these birds nest on trees with green leaves. This bird breeds in thick forests and scrubs They also can be found around wooded areas in Europe. After migration, they can be spootedaround semi-desert or woodland regions in a huge hunting group.
Who do Levant sparrowhawks live with?
This sparrowhawk species lives in flocks or pairs.
How long does a Levant sparrowhawk live?
The lifespan of these birds is not known. However, the lifespan of their relatives, the Eurasian sparrowhawk is around three years and most sparrowhawks live for four years.
How do they reproduce?
The breeding season takes place from mid-May to August. The breeding pair is territorial and generally, performs aerial displays.
It is believed that the Levant sparrowhawk female builds the nest on a tree that is close to running water usually on a forest edge, in open woodland, or a deserted clump of trees. The nest is built every year.
The small nest structure is made up of twigs in a fork or on a branch of a broad-leaved tree and is lined with green leaves. The nest measures up to 5.9 in (15 cm) deep and almost 12 in (30 cm) across.
The majority of nests are situated at 16-33 ft (5-10 m) above ground, however, a few nests have been found as high as 66 ft (20 m) and as low as 13 ft (4 m).
Females lay two to five eggs in one clutch. A female Levant sparrowhark incubates these Levant sparrowhawk eggs for 30-35 days.
The hatching of these birds is an asynchronous process. The young ones fledge the nest after 40-45 days and after 15 days they are independent.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of Accipiter brevipes is evaluated as Least Concern by International Union for Conservation of Nature. The distribution is currently stable around their migrating and native grounds. However, they are facing threats of habitat loss and from the development of wind farms.
Levant Sparrowhawk Fun Facts
What do Levant sparrowhawks look like?
These birds are small raptors with long tails and short broad wings which are adaptations that help these birds maneuver. They look like a sparrowhawk, however, the wing of the Levant species is more pointed with a shorter tail and also not well-marked.
This makes Levant sparrowhawk's appearance similar to falcons. The sexes can be distinguished by their plumage colors and size.
However, they are not as marked as the Eurasian sparrowhawk. The above of the adult male is blue-gray with barred reddish underparts and dark wingtips. The above of the adult female is slate-gray with barred reddish underparts and dark wingtips with a possible dark throat line.
Both sexes have a yellow cere and yellow-orange legs. Juveniles have a dark brown top with a dark-streaked underside and also show a dark throat stripe..
* Please note that this is an image of a sparrowhawk. If you have an image of a Levant sparrowhawk please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.
How cute are they?
These small raptors are considered cute.
How do they communicate?
These small raptors communicate through visuals, vocals, and body language. Their call is a distinctive 'kee-wick'.
How big is a Levant sparrowhawk?
These birds are 13-15 in (32-38 cm) in length and the Levant sparrowhawk wingspan measures 26-30 in (65-75 cm) in length. Females are larger than males. These birds are almost three times bigger than grasshopper sparrows but smaller than other birds in the hawk species.
How fast can a Levant sparrowhawk fly?
The flight speed of these birds is not known. Their flight is a distinct flap-flap-glide pattern.
How much does a Levant sparrowhawk weigh?
The weight of female birds is 0.39-0.63 lb (180-290 g) and male birds weigh 0.3-0.6 lb (140-275 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There is no specific name given to Levant sparrowhawk male and female birds.
What would you call a baby Levant sparrowhawk?
There is no specific name given to Levant sparrowhawk baby birds.
What do they eat?
This hawk species feeds on insects, small birds, lizards, and rodents. They catch their prey while perching. Also, males might hunt and bring around 10 birds to nest for the female and nestlings.
Are they dangerous?
No, they do not cause harm to human beings.
Would they make a good pet?
No, this wild species would not make great pets.
Did you know...
The Eurasian sparrowhawk of the same genus and family as Levant species, breeds, or is a resident to around 9,100,000 sq mi (23,600,000 sp km) of the global range of forests.
There are seven different types of hunting described by Ian Newton, including hunting on foot, sound, and low quartering. Some locations of six subspecies of the Eurasian sparrowhawk are Iran, northern and southern China, southern Tibet, Himalayas, and the Canary Islands.
For the conservation of this species, hunting in their wintering quarters and migration routes must be stopped. Also, more research has to be conducted on the population size of this species.
How did Levant sparrowhawks get their name?
The Levant sparrowhawk name comes from the location of these birds. 'Levant' refers to the geographic location of the eastern Mediterranean. The name also means 'rising' in French.
Is the Levant sparrowhawk endangered?
No, these birds are not yet Endangered. Their conservation status is listed as Least Concern.
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