Little Sparrowhawk

Africa's smallest accipiter favours forest edges, woodland patches, and dense riparian thickets, where it hunts small birds and large insects with rapid, weaving flight low through the vegetation. Watch for the distinctive banded underparts and yellow cere and feet, and listen for the high-pitched, repetitive kik-kik-kik call that often betrays a perched bird before it is seen. Breeding activity in spring and early summer makes birds more vocal and conspicuous, and clear mornings after overnight rain tend to bring them out to exposed perches to dry and warm in the early sun.