Frances's Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae Scientific name definitions

28–35 cm; male 104–140 g, female 112–185 g (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); wingspan 40–54 cm (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). On Madagascar, separation from region’s other small Accipiter, A. madagascariens, is complicated, especially in immature and female plumages, and best distinguished by undertail-coverts pattern (barred in present species, unbarred in madagascariensis), throat pattern (narrowly streaked in madagascariensis, single central streak in present species), upperparts coloration (usually darkest in madagascariensis), underparts pattern and coloration (whitest in madagascariensis with well-defined dark barring, typically off-white in francesiae with relatively broad brown barring) and toe length (short in present species, but central toe long and spindly looking in madagascariensis, indicative of it being a bird specialist) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Extent of rufous barring on underparts of male varies individually. Female is larger (wing 173–188 mm, versus 154–165 mm) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and browner than male , with broader and much more profuse barring below. Bare parts: bill black with bluish-grey base, cere dull greenish yellow, irides yellow with orange-yellow orbital ring and legs dull yellow (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile resembles adult female, but usually paler, with more cinnamon-brown barring, more prominent central throat-stripe and pale areas of underwing tinged cinnamon (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). In juveniles on Mayotte (race brutus) irides are initially greyish blue, becoming yellow at 2–7 months old, and acquires second (immature) plumage with darker (more greyish) upperparts and underparts intermediate between adult and juvenile, more scalloped than former but less spotted than latter; unknown whether such plumage exists in other races (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Races differ markedly in size, colour intensity and extent of barring on underparts: griveaudi is smaller than nominate (wing of male 169–170 mm, mass 100–118 g) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but slightly larger than pusillus, and barred below on salmon-pink background, with grey bill, greenish-yellow cere, bright yellow eyes and yellow legs (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), sexes similar; pusillus is on average a little smaller than previous (wing of male 139–146 mm) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), both sexes almost unmarked whitish grey below, with only minimal barring on breast-sides (especially in female), white underwing except dark tips to flight feathers (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); brutus also is small (wing of male 142–143 mm, mass 93–121 g) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), both sexes closer in appearance to nominate female, warm brown above (especially in female), white below, with obvious rufous bars on breast , especially well marked in female (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Identification easy on Comoros, where it is only member of genus (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Within Madagascar, males in E can have darker upperparts and more strongly barred rufous underparts than those in W, but no additional subspecies recognized (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

All types of primary and secondary forest, and commercial plantations (e.g. Eucalyptus, coffee) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and suburban gardens, from sea-level to 1600 m (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Compared to A. madagascariensis, present species typically occupies lower strata within forest, but is not so constrained in more open habitats, where former species much rarer or absent, and A. madagascariensis generally nests higher and in more open trees (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). On Grand Comoro, race griveaudi occurs mainly on the edge of evergreen forest at up to 1800 m, but will even nest in mangroves elsewhere in Comoros (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Mainly large insects, such as cicadas, dragonflies, mantises, wasps (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), grasshoppers, locusts (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) or beetles (Carabidae, Scarabaeidae) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); also spiders (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and small vertebrates, including frogs, chameleons (Phelsuma,  Lygodactylus) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), lizards (Mabuya skinks, Zonosaurus, Tracheloptychus) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), rodents and small birds up to size of Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Lizards appear to be most common prey type (4 Rene de Roland, L.-A. (2001). Comparaison du régime alimentaire des trois espèces d'Accipiter dans la foret pluviale, au nordest de Madagascar. Ostrich. Suppl. No 15: 206-209. Close ). In NE Madagascar study, lizards (56%) and birds (23%) made up majority of 305 identified prey items delivered to nest, these supplemented with 16 snakes (8%), 11 terrestrial crabs (5·5%), ten insects (5%), two frogs (1%), two rats (1%) and one bat (0·5%) (5 Rene de Roland, L.-A. (2000). Breeding biology of Frances's Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesii in a lowland rainforest of northeastern Madagascar. Ostrich. 71(1 & 2): 332-335. Close ). Studies elsewhere in Madagascar indicate greater proportions of insects, with recently fledged juveniles apparently very (89%) dependent on such items (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). On Mayotte, reptiles (90%) seemingly more important, at least when feeding young, with remaining 10% comprising birds, rodents, amphibians, insects and carrion, with one observation of a bird with a Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ), and on Grande Comore has been observed raiding (unseen contents of) nest of Comoro Drongo (Dicrurus fuscipennis) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Usually hunts from a perch , generally an exposed one, from which it makes a swift dash after quarry, either to tree trunk or foliage, and sometimes perches on riverbank, flying down to attack potential prey (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); pair-members sometimes hunt co-operatively.

Very vocal, especially during breeding season (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Loud, piercing, medium- to high-pitched “kee kee kee” and shrill “kwit kwit kwit” (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), the notes given either singly or repeated at 2–3-second intervals, and considered lower-pitched and less squeaky-sounding than A. madagascariensis (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Race griveaudi (Grand Comoro) gives short, simple, high-pitched “rick-rickrick-rick-rickrickrick”, each note of c. 0·25 seconds, grouped, and repeated at irregular intervals, or given singly (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Race pusillus (Anjouan) utters high, grating and squeaky-sounding “criik-criik-criik-criik”, with each note lasting c. 1 second (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Race brutus (Mayotte) gives long, 5–40-note, sequence of high-pitched, rising and agitated “rick-rick-rick-rick” or “vhit vhit vhit” calls, each note of 0·5 seconds and separated by similar-length interval between them, while begging juvenile utters huskier “whiest whiest whiest” (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ); during copulation, female of this race gives “ooi! i! i!” or “oo, oo i! i!” (the “oo” slightly descending), while male produced querulous “werk! ... werk! ...” followed by loud “i-ik! ... i-ik!” calls (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Laying in Sept–Dec (mainly Oct–Nov) in Madagascar and on Mayotte, but territorial calling and display can commence Aug and nest-building can precede egg-laying by as long as c. 2 months (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Substantial stick nest, lined with green leaves, built 4·5–7 m up in densely foliaged forest tree, exotic mango (Mangifera indica) near village, or within epiphyte on a plantation tree, whereas on Mayotte nests placed conspicuously 5–28 m (mean 17 m) above ground, mainly in exotic trees (Spathodea campanulata, Erythrina, Mangifera indica) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Mean inter-nest distances on latter island unusually small, just 140–159 m (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ). May reuse previous season’s nest, despite that this requires extensive restoration work (16 days, versus 26 days to complete brand new structure), or may build new nest relatively close by (250 m distant) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Clutch 1–5 eggs, usually 2–3, bluish white (dull white on Mayotte) with lilac and brown markings, mean size 38·5 mm × 31·3 mm, mass 19·2 g (Madagascar) or 34·2–37·3 mm × 29·2–31·2 mm (Mayotte) (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Following details from study in 1994 and 1995 in NE Madagascar (Masoala Peninsula) (5 Rene de Roland, L.-A. (2000). Breeding biology of Frances's Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesii in a lowland rainforest of northeastern Madagascar. Ostrich. 71(1 & 2): 332-335. Close ): nest-building in Oct, laying in Nov and hatching in Dec (dry season), and fledging in Jan (beginning of wet season); of ten pairs, all except one built new nest in 1995; at nests in primary forest, eggs incubated for 79% of observation time by female, 3% by male, and unattended for 18% of time, incubation period 30–32 days, nestling period 25–27 days (males), 27–29 days (females). Of 14 documented breeding attempts in Masoala Peninsula study, 13 successful, total of 33 eggs laid (in 13 nests), average clutch size 2·5 eggs, 29 eggs (88%) hatched, and all hatchlings fledged; average of 2·1 young fledged per breeding attempt, and overall success 93% (5 Rene de Roland, L.-A. (2000). Breeding biology of Frances's Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesii in a lowland rainforest of northeastern Madagascar. Ostrich. 71(1 & 2): 332-335. Close ). Pied Crows (Corvus albus) predate nests on Comoros (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), where at first of two study plots on Mayotte, which held 29 pairs in 75 ha, 20 pairs fledged young each, two were still incubating at end of study period and seven failed, while three pairs apparently did not breed; at second study site, with 30 pairs in 61 ha, 19 pairs fledged young, eight failed and again three pairs showed no evidende of breeding (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. The commonest of the three members of its genus in Madagascar, but rather uncommon in arid S. Perhaps commonest in NE of island, where 180 pairs estimated on Masoala Peninsula, compared to 25 pairs of A. henstii and 30 pairs of A. madagascariensis (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). In Comoro Is, fairly common in well-wooded areas of Grande Comoro (race griveaudi), but numbers probably only one-tenth of those on Mayotte (see below) (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ); once common on Anjouan (pusillus), but by 1960 rare, although not close to extinction as once feared, and now known from scattered sites in C highlands but also close to sea-level, and densities probably similar to those on Grande Comoro (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); and common on Mayotte (brutus), especially at low altitude, at least on moist W side of main island (Grande Terre), where phenonomenally high densities of one pair per 2–2·6 ha achieved and total population estimated at 7225–10,960 pairs (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ), but very rare on Petite Terre and just a few observations on offshore islets (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Not definitely recorded from other islands of Comoros (Mohéli). It has been suggested that the abundance of this species in the Comoros (especially on Mayotte) has affected the colonization possibilities of several passerine birds, given inexplicable anomalies in the archipelago’s avian biogeography, with several species of small birds absent from islands where A. francesiae is present compared to islands where it is not (6 Herremans, M., Louette, M., Stevens, J. and Meirte, D. (2011). Record breeding densities of Frances’s Sparrowhawk Accipiter francesiae, and effects on bird communities in the Comoros. Phelsuma. 19: 1-26. Close ). Global population thought likely to include at least 40,000 pairs (2 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and appears to be stable. Originally an inhabitant of native forest, this raptor is apparently able to adapt to plantations, as well as large gardens with trees in areas of human habitation, rendering it less vulnerable to degradation and loss of native forest. Occasionally hunted for food on Madagascar (1 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).