Ovampo sparrowhawk

Description

The Ovambo or Ovampo sparrowhawk,also known as Hilgert's sparrowhawk,(Accipiter ovampensis) is a species of sub-Saharan African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.It takes its name from the Ovamboland in northern Namibia.The Ovambo sparrowhawk is a small sparrowhawk with the typical broad winged,long-tailed shape of a member of the genus Accipiter.The adults have plain grey upperparts with white bars on the rump and white underparts which are finely barred with grey but with a plain white vent.The tail has three dark bars and a broad,dark subterminal band.The bill is black,contrasting with the red cere,the eyes are dark red and the legs are orange.There is a melanistic form which is all black except for the white barred flight feathers on the underwing.The juvenile is browner and may be white over the underparts and head or have a brown head and rufous underparts.Females are about 14% bigger than males,weighing in at 180–305 g (6.3–10.8 oz) to the males 105–190 g (3.7–6.7 oz).The total length is about 30 cm (12 in) and the wingspan is 67 cm (26 in).