Black Sparrowhawk

Africa's largest accipiter, it favours mature forest edges, dense woodland, and plantation forestry, where it hunts from concealed perches before making swift, powerful stoops after medium-sized birds such as doves and starlings. Watch for the striking black-and-white plumage in flight — the white underparts and dark upperparts are diagnostic — and listen for the loud, repeated kek-kek-kek alarm calls that often betray a perched bird or signal a breeding pair near the nest. The best observation opportunities come during the breeding season when pairs are vocal and conspicuous around large stick nests in tall trees, typically from late winter into spring in southern populations, with early morning hours offering the greatest chance of catching active hunting or territorial soaring above the canopy.