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Madagascar sparrowhawk (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter notjes
- Start date
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Madagascar
Mark Harper
World Birder
i was thinking that was a frances. seems like very small and i see some pics on a site who like to be same:
http://xavier.libert.oiseaux.net/epervier.de.frances.2.html#monde
What do you think ?
http://xavier.libert.oiseaux.net/epervier.de.frances.2.html#monde
What do you think ?
rockfowl
Mark Andrews
I'm a bit confused by these, not helped probably by mis'ided birds on t'internet.
But doesn't Madagascar Sparrowhawk have incredibly long toes? - http://www.arkive.org/madagascar-sparrowhawk/accipiter-madagascariensis/image-G26757.html
Must admit, I was thinking a young male Frances's(not that I've seen either), younger than Notje's link and a bluer version of this http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/frances039s-sparrowhawk-accipiter-francesii/high-tree-edge-rainforest- ?
But doesn't Madagascar Sparrowhawk have incredibly long toes? - http://www.arkive.org/madagascar-sparrowhawk/accipiter-madagascariensis/image-G26757.html
What do you reckon to this one Mark, a mislabelled Frances's ? - http://www.arkive.org/madagascar-sparrowhawk/accipiter-madagascariensis/image-G104372.html
Must admit, I was thinking a young male Frances's(not that I've seen either), younger than Notje's link and a bluer version of this http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/frances039s-sparrowhawk-accipiter-francesii/high-tree-edge-rainforest- ?
Last edited:
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Hasn't Frances' (notice doesn't need another 's'!) always have wider spaced barring below?
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Looks like a male Frances' to me too. Will spend time double-checking them when I'm out there next month!
petemorris
Well-known member
Hi Notjes
Your bird is a Frances's Sparrowhawk. Madagascar Sparrowhawk is one of the most widely mis-identified birds in Madagascar. It is actually quite rare and hard to see. For every one I have seen, I will have seen 20+ Frances's. The frequently used Sinclair field guide does not help either.
Attached is one of the few Madagascar Sparrowhawks I have seen. Note it is a bigger bulkier bird, more finely barred below, with a streaked throat, and, as Mark says, longer legs and toes. It lacks the distinct mesial stripe of Frances's too.
Hope this helps
Pete
Your bird is a Frances's Sparrowhawk. Madagascar Sparrowhawk is one of the most widely mis-identified birds in Madagascar. It is actually quite rare and hard to see. For every one I have seen, I will have seen 20+ Frances's. The frequently used Sinclair field guide does not help either.
Attached is one of the few Madagascar Sparrowhawks I have seen. Note it is a bigger bulkier bird, more finely barred below, with a streaked throat, and, as Mark says, longer legs and toes. It lacks the distinct mesial stripe of Frances's too.
Hope this helps
Pete
Attachments
rockfowl
Mark Andrews
Nice one Pete, I did wonder, but its been a long time since I looked at skins. It seems the internet is , once again littered with wrongly labelled images.
I read somewhere that Frances's (BBB) can be stupidly approachable, unlike Madagascar, so most cracking shots, by default, tend to be FS, you've perhaps just proved that is not always the case.
I read somewhere that Frances's (BBB
) can be stupidly approachable, unlike Madagascar, so most cracking shots, by default, tend to be FS, you've perhaps just proved that is not always the case.
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Cheers for the clarification Pete...not helpful when the fieldguide's off eh?? Will make a margin note in it for my trip.....
Out of interest, seeing that the Sinclair book is the default guide, what other species in it are a bit 'off'? I remember another thread you were talking about the near-mythical Dusky Greenbul and the illustrations were wrong for that bird...was that in reference to the Sinclair book too?
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Out of interest, seeing that the Sinclair book is the default guide, what other species in it are a bit 'off'? I remember another thread you were talking about the near-mythical Dusky Greenbul and the illustrations were wrong for that bird...was that in reference to the Sinclair book too?
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thanks guy. i think i agree with you for a frances's sparrowhawk. Thanks for your help
good travel in Madagascar to birdboybowley in this wonderful country. If you want more infos about the country, this naturel reserve and quantity of pics about his fauna, you can find my travel blog ( in french but pics don't have language ):
http://www.notjes.com/article-madagascar-part-1-mai-2011-76138234.html
http://www.notjes.com/article-madagascar-part-2-mai-2011-76302671.html
good travel in Madagascar to birdboybowley in this wonderful country. If you want more infos about the country, this naturel reserve and quantity of pics about his fauna, you can find my travel blog ( in french but pics don't have language ):
http://www.notjes.com/article-madagascar-part-1-mai-2011-76138234.html
http://www.notjes.com/article-madagascar-part-2-mai-2011-76302671.html
rockfowl
Mark Andrews
Maybe its my painting in Pete and Frank Hawkins book? :smoke:
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Yeah I'll blame you then Mark
petemorris
Well-known member
Yeah, Dusky Greenbul would be the classic - a very widely strung species indeed. Two usual sources - the darker Spectacled Greenbuls on the Masoala (where Dusky almost certainly does not occur) and juvenile White-throated Oxylabes. Don't claim one without evidence!!
There are no documented recent records, except for one specimen in the last decade that I know of. Some interesting recent work on the Bernieridae has, I believe, shown that Dusky Greenbul is the sister species of Madagascar Yellowbrow. Must be a ground-dwelling skulker that is tough to see and, like Red-tailed Newtonia (another frequently strung bird - cf female Red-tailed Vanga), probably does not occur at sites on the regular circuit.
Cheers
Pete
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Where's the fun in that??
Cheers for that Pete, don't expect I'll find anything resembling one but you never know!! Cheers for the RT Newtonia info too
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sicklebill
well-known Cretaceous relic
Madagascar Sparrowhawk
Attaching two shots I took at Berenty in November 2012- one is a I believe a female or maybe imm. Frances's Sparrowhawk, but the other is more puzzling, it might be a juv Frances's perhaps but it was greyish above, had no pale marks on the head and looked to be adult basically. No mesial stripe, the throat looked pale. It had quite thick broad dark tail bars on the upper surface- no sure if this has any specific i. d. value though. It basically reminded me of a small version of Henst's Goshawk. I'd value opinions on its identity as there is so much confusion between these two. This was my third trip and this was the first time I had encountered even a possible Madagascar Sparrowhawk, so as Pete Morris says it's clearly rare and often misidentified.
Thanks
Attaching two shots I took at Berenty in November 2012- one is a I believe a female or maybe imm. Frances's Sparrowhawk, but the other is more puzzling, it might be a juv Frances's perhaps but it was greyish above, had no pale marks on the head and looked to be adult basically. No mesial stripe, the throat looked pale. It had quite thick broad dark tail bars on the upper surface- no sure if this has any specific i. d. value though. It basically reminded me of a small version of Henst's Goshawk. I'd value opinions on its identity as there is so much confusion between these two. This was my third trip and this was the first time I had encountered even a possible Madagascar Sparrowhawk, so as Pete Morris says it's clearly rare and often misidentified.
Thanks
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