Fun Gabar Goshawk Facts For Kids

If you want to learn more about birds, you might want to read about the beautiful and stunning gabar goshawk. Hopefully, the color palette and the stately nature of the avian will fascinate kids and catch their attention!

These birds have gray upperparts, white rump, red cere, gray barring on the chest, gray barred thighs and underwings, long legs, and barred tails along with white-gray plumage.

The gabar goshawk, also known as a autour gabar, is a bird of prey. These birds are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. The gabar goshawk has three recognized subspecies.

These are Micronisus gabar niger, Micronisus gabar gabar and Micronisus gabar aequatorius. Gabar goshawks are intelligent and quick birds.

The gabar goshawk hawk is preyed upon by the Wahlberg's eagle (Aquila wahlbergi) and the Ayres's eagle or Ayres's hawk-eagle (Aquila ayresii). This avian is also preyed upon by the tawny eagles. The gabar goshawk is sometimes confused with the sparrowhawk.

Like reading about these gabar goshawks and want to know more about them? Continue reading this article.

For more relatable content, check out these swallow-tailed kite facts and brant facts for kids.

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Gabar Goshawk Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a gabar goshawk?

The gabar goshawk (Micronisus gabar) is a bird that belongs to the phylum Chordata. It is a bird that belongs to the order Falconiformes. Also, the bird of prey is a part of the subfamily Accipitridae.

What class of animal does a gabar goshawk belong to?

The gabar goshawk belongs to the class Aves, meaning it is a bird.

How many gabar goshawks are there in the world?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, these birds have a stable population in the world. However, the exact number of mature individuals in the world is not known.

Where does a gabar goshawk live?

The gabar goshawk (Micronisus gabar) habitat is in shrublands, grasslands, forests, savanna, woodlands, and inland wetlands. The range of the bird is around 10,077,266 sq mi (26,099,999 sq km).

What is a gabar goshawk's habitat?

The gabar goshawk distribution is widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa and southern Africa. The gabar goshawk in South Africa mainly refers to the Micronisus gabar gabar.

The subspecies of gabar goshawk in South Africa is also found in Zambia, Angola, and south Mozambique. The Micronisus gabar niger is found in southern Chad and South Sudan. This subspecies is also found in southwest Arabia, north Cameroon, and south Cameroon.

The Micronisus gabar aequatorius subspecies is found in the southern Ethiopian Highlands. This bird is also found in northern Mozambique and north Zambia.

Who do gabar goshawks live with?

Gabar goshawks are usually solitary creatures outside of the breeding season. They are sometimes seen in pairs as well. The pairs are usually visible in the breeding season.

How long does a gabar goshawk live?

The gabar goshawk lives for an average of nine years. The northern goshawk has a slightly longer lifespan.

How do they reproduce?

The goshawk (Micronisus gabar) is a monogamous bird. The males of this species chase the female birds of this species through the trees as part of a courtship display during the breeding season.

The males of this species can also be seen calling from a perch earnestly. The bird is territorial as well as a solitary nest builder.

The platform nest is built primarily by the female of this species in the crown of a thorny tree with thin twigs. The nest is built in two to six weeks.

The platform nest is built by the species in an indigenous thorny tree using various materials like thin twigs, spider webs, lichen, earth, sheep's wool, grass, rags, feathers, and dry leaves. The outer part of the nest is decorated using spider webs.

The breeding female lays two to four eggs in one clutch. The eggs are incubated for about 28-30 days before they hatch.

What is their conservation status?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the gabar goshawk is classified as Least Concern. There are no imminent threats to the existing population of these birds.

Gabar Goshawk Fun Facts

What do gabar goshawks look like?

There are two distinct polymorphs of the Melierax gabar of the family Accipitridae. The blackbird counts for only about a fourth of the entire distribution of the population of gabar goshawks. The pale one has a white and dark gray plumage, while the dark one has black plumage.

The pale goshawk has dark gray upperparts and a white rump. The pale bird also has white and gray barred on the thighs and underwings.

The pale birds have a gray barring on the chest. The white belly of the pale one is gray barred as well and the tail is barred with black feathers. The birds have a red cere and long legs.

Juvenile gabar goshawks differ from the adult goshawk in its appearance. The cere of a gabar goshawk juvenile is yellow and not white. The barring on the chest is less defined for juvenile birds. Also, the legs of the chicks are yellow in color.

How cute are they?

The adult birds are rather formidable in their looks and may not be termed as cute. However, the juveniles with their colorful brown plumage may be called cute.

How do they communicate?

These birds have a distinctive call of repetitive 'peeii-peeii-peeii'. The call may also be described as a repetitive 'teeui-teeui-teeui'.

How big is a gabar goshawk?

The gabar goshawk is 11-14 in (28–36 cm) in length. The Melierax gabar is smaller than the northern goshawk. The gabar goshawk is also smaller than other goshawks.

How fast can a gabar goshawk fly?

The goshawk can fly at high speeds of 30-40 mph (48.3-64.4 kph).

How much does a gabar goshawk weigh?

A male gabar goshawk weighs about 3.2-6.1 oz (90-173 g). The female gabar goshawk weighs about 5.9-8.5 oz (167-240 g). The females of this African species are much larger than the males. However, both genders of this African species look alike.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male goshawk is called a tercel and the female goshawk is called a falcon. What interesting names!

What would you call a baby gabar goshawk?

Baby gabar goshawks are called chicks. This bird can also be called a juvenile gabar goshawk.

What do they eat?

The gabar goshawk (Micronisus gabar) is a carnivore by diet. The bird's diet includes small birds, small mammals, small reptiles, and insects. The goshawk's diet also includes chickens.

Are they dangers?

Goshawks and hawks are not dangerous in general. However, they are birds of prey so if you spot one in the wild, it is best to keep your distance.

Would they make a good pet?

These birds are generally popular in falconry. They generally make great pets and are good hunting birds. However, they are difficult to train and require proper handling. They tend to forget their training pretty fast.

Did you know...

Daudin (1800) is a source of authority for these birds in the world.

Adult gabar goshawks are mainly sedentary in their range or non-migratory in their range. However, the immature birds are nomadic. The immature birds of this order, family, genus often undertake small migratory movements in search of new habitat.

The gabar goshawk + rocky outcrop is a good combination of the bird and its environment. The gabar goshawk + spiny mouse is also a good combination of predator and prey.

This bird of prey can hunt its food in flight. They hunt from a perch and swoop down to their food. They also can chase their food on their legs by running.

These birds do not have an endemic distribution and do not prefer the dense foliage of trees.

Are gabar goshawks endangered?

The Melierax gabar is not endangered in the world. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Melierax gabar is listed in Appendix II.

How did the gabar goshawks get their name?

The term 'goshawk' is taken from the Old English word 'gōsheafoc', meaning a 'goose-hawk'.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Hawaiian hawk facts and griffon vulture facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable gabar goshawk coloring pages.