Field Guide

Eastern chanting-goshawks are typically solitary and are often seen alone or in pairs sitting at the top of a tree or utility pole.

Some experts say calls can sound like a squeaking song; the calls vary during flight, when begging for food, or when alarmed.

These birds are known for quickly swooping from a high perch or in flight to catch their prey; they sometimes run after prey, but this is not typical.

Least concern

Favored prey includes lizards, snakes, small birds, rodents, and some insects.

After moonlit courtship flights, the pair builds a small stick nest that is protected by foliage. The female performs most of the egg incubation. Chicks fledge around 50 days after they hatch.

Eastern chanting-goshawks suffer when their habitat is overgrazed or destroyed by elephants.

Kenya populations are stable.

Eastern chanting-goshawks are common in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.