Valéry Schollaert
Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s
Eleonora's is much smaller than Lanner...
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Dark Chanting Goshawk - Zimbabwe (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter DeanT
- Start date
Eleonora's is much smaller than Lanner...
I have no strong view one way or the other, and have never seen Eleonora's. However I wonder if the ratio of tail length to head +body length helps here. Without measuring (someone could), it seems the tail of the Op bird's slightly longer, the African bird club image is about the same length, and the typical lanner above is shorter. These impressions try to take angle into account.
Valéry Schollaert
Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s
Actually, the very long tail impression in Eleonora's is notably due to very narrow wings. For example, Andy's photo shows clearly the base of the tail that almost "touches" the tertials, while there is a big gap between tertials tip and base of tail in Eleonora's, like in Dean's bird. I don't think angle plays any role in the detail
Well it came out of nowhere and disappeared 'a tout vitesse!'
so bigger than Eurasian Hobby with slim body and wings and my first thought was Lanner - because that's the only other falcon I have ever seen in my life. You guys in Europe have lots of these falcons.
I've only been birding for 4 years, which is when I joined this forum because I quickly realised I haven't a clue what the heck I'm doing. But I do find peace walking around in the wilderness with my little canon camera.
I think it is Eleonora's. My friend saw an Eleonora's 19°48'S 32°52'E
Brilliant.
Valéry Schollaert
Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s
Main wintering range is Madagascar, but they migrate late in season, as they start breeding late in Mediterranean region and they are therefore regularly seen in other Africa countries in this period. I've seen several in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda... a rare or at best uncommon bird but not at all impossible in Zimbabwe.
Tib78
Well-known member
FWIW:
1- the long winged impression can easily be due to forshortening as the picture was not taken from below (ie: the wing lenght is not affected per say, but the perceived width of the wing is affected by foreshortening, thus the wing may appear longer).
And the extent of the "gape" between the tail base and the tertials is a fonction of whether or not the tail is fanned (ie:the extent of the gape changes constantly...). How this can be considered a critical feature is beyond me...
2- for those who say this is an Eleonora's: would you care to define what age and colour morph? I am asking because...
3-....the dense patterning of breast/upper belly stops abruptly in a straight line towards the lower belly/vent leaving a sharp and square demarcation between the two areas. This, in itself, is already weird for an Eleonora's of any age and nigh on impossible for an adult of this species - but typical for juv Lanner, just saying... - but let's say it can occur in juveniles. The real problem comes out when one combines this features with the rather uniformely dark underwing...because that would mean we are dealing with a juv Elenora's showing characteristics of both light morph (underparts) and dark morph (underwing/flight feathers pattern). Beside, such dark flight feathers must be at least rare in juv Eleonora's, even the darkest individuals.
4- Based on the available evidences (photos AND account of observer), if I were sitting in the comity assessing this record, I would never accept the bird as an Eleonora's in a area where it is rare (has it been ever recorded there?).
1- the long winged impression can easily be due to forshortening as the picture was not taken from below (ie: the wing lenght is not affected per say, but the perceived width of the wing is affected by foreshortening, thus the wing may appear longer).
And the extent of the "gape" between the tail base and the tertials is a fonction of whether or not the tail is fanned (ie:the extent of the gape changes constantly...). How this can be considered a critical feature is beyond me...
2- for those who say this is an Eleonora's: would you care to define what age and colour morph? I am asking because...
3-....the dense patterning of breast/upper belly stops abruptly in a straight line towards the lower belly/vent leaving a sharp and square demarcation between the two areas. This, in itself, is already weird for an Eleonora's of any age and nigh on impossible for an adult of this species - but typical for juv Lanner, just saying... - but let's say it can occur in juveniles. The real problem comes out when one combines this features with the rather uniformely dark underwing...because that would mean we are dealing with a juv Elenora's showing characteristics of both light morph (underparts) and dark morph (underwing/flight feathers pattern). Beside, such dark flight feathers must be at least rare in juv Eleonora's, even the darkest individuals.
4- Based on the available evidences (photos AND account of observer), if I were sitting in the comity assessing this record, I would never accept the bird as an Eleonora's in a area where it is rare (has it been ever recorded there?).
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Lanner for me too
