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Yes, I agree with it maybe being confused with a Juv Euro Hobby, but to me the main factors excluding juveniles is by looking at when she saw this bird which was in February.

Obviously the Euro Hobby is an European breeding bird, so the chances of finding a Juv this time of year in SA should probably be very unlikely.

Naomi,
Juv. Peregrine and a lekka sighting for Kruger!

The length of the wings, the shape of the black cap and fine breast streaking exclude Euro Hobby. Unfortunately we can't see if the nape of the bird is pale but you can see that the lower half of the belly's streaking (just below the feet on your pic) is horizontal, the broad moustache and dark head exclude Lanner.

Thanks Lizet, I was just about to post the same pic after editing them a bit, and I also stick to my original ID of Peregrine Falcon


The streaking and buffy wash, the dark moustache and the tail and wings being the same length is good for Juvenile Peregrine, probably first year bird.

Thank you ever so much to everyone who contributed - especially to Dotdan and Lizette!

Another lifer for me!!

So glad that I made my hubby stop to take the pics - we were on our way to a leopard sighting and for him, at that moment in time, birds were not high on the priority list! (He is not a birder, but usually very patient with me.)

Just for the record - we did find the leopard, but so far off in a tree that it was only visible through bino's.

Thanks Lizette and Dotdan for this welcome confirmation. It just HAD to be a Peregrine in my book. I am looking at them almost daily where I live and never had any doubts.
(Old saying, If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its a duck!)

Seen 30kms south of Cookhouse??

Immature Martial Eagle! Nice picture.

Thanks for confirmation, my SO says thanks...she took the pic

That's a first for us

Please help.

My first thought was a black shouldered Kite, but I am not seeing the black shoulder, so my next option, after paging through my book, is a Shikra, but I am really not sure.



@ Maxwell...I am pretty sure that it is NOT a cuckoo!!

superb
I will go also for a Shikra (long tail)

No its not (a Cuckoo).
Probably a Shikra. Where was the picture taken? How big would you guess the bird was? I am reticent because the eye is not bright red and I sense grey banding not red/brown above the raised leg. Both these could well be a trick of the lighting of course.

It was taken on 1 of the little loops on the H4-1 close to the high water bridge at Skukuza. It was far away and was a case of "what is that....stop a second" Push camera up to full zoom and take a photo for later ID.

I have cropped it severely to try to make it a bit clearer. It was probably BSK size or slightly bigger. It didn't strike me as a PCG due to the eye and cere colour (but then I am really no expert as you may have noticed).

Hi Rookie, the plain grey tail with white tip and cherry red eye can only point to Shikra

I was considering at the possibility of Ovambo Sparrowhawk due to the 'darker' eye and grey barring and maybe size.
Rookies size as BSK would still do that as would the greyish barring but the lighter picture shows a brighter eye than at first as well as size of the whole eye to the head..
I'll go with Shikra on the basis of location too.

Just a heads up, Ovambo Sparrowhawk usually has a rather fleshy cere which looks more like a growth on the base of the bill than a neat yellow "sheath". Besides, Ovambo Spar would have had barring on the tail.

No, you can rest assured that your bird is a Shikra.