Long-tailed Hawk

Overview

The long-tailed hawk (Urotriorchis macrourus) is an African bird of prey and the sole member of its genus. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, it is a distinctively shaped raptor known for its exceptionally long tail relative to its body size.

Identification

• Dark grey upperparts with chestnut underparts, contrasting with a white throat and undertail coverts.
• Possesses a very noticeable, long, barred tail that comprises about 56% of the bird's total length.
• Black bill with yellow eyes, cere, legs, and feet; underwings show white flight feathers heavily barred with dark grey.
• Vocal species often detected by a long, drawn-out screech from birds perched in the canopy.

Habitat

This species inhabits the tropical rainforests of western and central Africa. Its range extends from Guinea in the west, along the Gulf of Guinea coast south to northern Angola, and east to the southern Central African Republic, northern Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and western Uganda.

Diet

Primarily feeds on squirrels, especially scaly-tailed squirrels, and small birds, occasionally hunting chickens in nearby villages. It kills prey by breaking the neck, and its strong legs suggest a main diet of mammals, though it has also been known to attack hammer-headed fruit bats.

Did you know?

The generic name Urotriorchis combines "Uro-" from the Greek for "tail" and "triorchis," referring to a type of hawk historically thought to have three testicles.