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Nice shot WTM, where did you see this?

Lizard Buzzard or Hawk

A small grey hawk that is distinguished by its white throat with a vertical black streak. Also by its two bold white tail bands (sometimes only one). Immature birds have a less clear black streak. The whistling call is 'klioo-klu-klu-klu' which is uttered regularly while perched.

Seen just inside Paul Kruger gate in Feb.

We saw this one at Pafuri last month:

A friend of mine saw one in the Pretoriaskop area in December

We spotted the following guy/girl on our garden wall (Maputo) this morning....is this a Lizard Buzzard?

The bird was not much in a mood for photos and mostly showed me the back of its head....I was thus not able to get a shot of the front of the neck. It had very much of a red cere, red legs, barring on the breast (the part that I could see) and one white band on the tail. It has actually been around the whole day, every now and then swooping down on the smaller birds eating in the garden, but has not again went and sat down where I can get better photos.

Larger view

Spot-on. Tail bar, barring on front, white eye markings, bill and legs all add up.

You really have a very special home, Jumbo!

When you have seen them often enough you'll get it right all the time. The shape of the head and the general form gives it away. When I saw your pic I knew straight away without having to look at any of the finer detail.

Nice sighting! Enjoy it while you can.

The two white spots on the tail are diagnostic of this species. We saw one on Saturday not too far from Skukuza. It took us about 5 mins to ID it. It was sitting off quite far and with the light not being good as it was overcast we had to wait for a sun beam to break thru to show the vertical stripe on the throat as it turned its head. It was sitting side on and it was not easy to distinguish it from a Gabar under these conditions.

A lovely little bird this is Really can't seem to find one in Kruger , Managed to see one yesterday though.....On our property in Vaalwater(Waterberg).....being mocked by a Mellanistic Gabar and Immature Gabar Goshawk!

We saw this one in Kruger on the Voortrekker Road in Feb this year.

Link

Link

Finally found a Lizard buzzard! 22 June 2012, on the Phalaborwa - Mopani Rd only a couple of km's from the T-junction with the Phalaborwa-Letaba Rd (very nice "last" sighting of the week on the way back home...)

23 May 2012 on the Numbi Road, just before you reached Napi turnoff



23 May 2012 on the S114 after Renosterkoppies and before the H5 turnoff

I have had some good sightings of this bird recently in and around Kruger.