Levant sparrowhawk
Accipiter brevipes
James Heal · Sagarejo, Kakheti Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 32–38 cm
- Diet
- Lizards, large insects and small birds
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird and passage migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Adjara; Mtskheta-Mtianeti; Kakheti; Tbilisi
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, often near water
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Protection
- Globally LC (2021)
The Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) is a small bird of prey: it is 32–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 60–75 cm. The female is larger than the male. The male is bluish grey above and pale below with fine reddish barring, and has dark wingtips. It resembles the Eurasian sparrowhawk, but its tail is shorter and its wings more pointed, so in flight it can recall a falcon. It is harmless to people. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and passage migrant. Observations run from May to October, with the most in May and September. Its range covers five regions: Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kakheti and Tbilisi. Most records come from Kvemo Kartli and Adjara. It feeds mainly on lizards and large insects. Globally its risk of extinction is low (LC, 2021), and its numbers are stable.
Identification
Levant sparrowhawk: how to identify it
A small, sparrowhawk-like raptor with a short tail, pointed wings and dark eyes. The male is bluish grey above and pale below with fine reddish barring. In flight the dark wingtips stand out on the pale underwing.
It is 32–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 60–75 cm. The female is larger than the male, though the difference is smaller than in the Eurasian sparrowhawk. The legs are orange-yellow, and there is a yellow cere at the base of the bill.
The male is bluish grey above and on the head, pale below, with fine reddish and white barring on the breast and leg feathers. The throat is white with a dark central stripe, which is sometimes faint. The female is slate grey above with reddish-brown barring below. The juvenile is dark grey-brown above with dark spots below. Adults have dark, reddish-brown eyes.
The similar Accipiter nisus has a longer tail, rounder wings and yellow or orange eyes, and its underwing is barred, without dark tips. On migration the Levant sparrowhawk often travels in flocks, while the Eurasian sparrowhawk usually travels alone.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It lives in deciduous forests, often near water, and also in plantations, orchards and vineyards. Riverside deciduous forest suits it best. It nests in a tree, often in a clump of deciduous trees among meadows, plains and cultivated land. It usually occurs up to 1,000 m, sometimes up to 2,000 m. It winters in Africa south of the Sahara, where it probably prefers thorn scrub. In Georgia it is seen most often in Kvemo Kartli, in Gardabani Municipality. It is also often seen in Adjara, near Batumi, at Sakhalvasho and in Kobuleti Municipality, especially in August and September. It has also been seen in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, near Stepantsminda and on the northern edge of Tbilisi around Gldani, in Kakheti, in Sagarejo and Dedoplistskaro municipalities, and in Tbilisi, in Vake-Saburtalo. In Abkhazia and Samtskhe-Javakheti there are only a few records, and in Shida Kartli and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti one record each.
The Levant sparrowhawk map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Records run from May to October, with the most in May and September. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It is carnivorous. Most of its food is lizards and large insects, the latter especially in Africa. It also hunts small birds, such as sparrows, finches and swallows, and rodents. It sits on a branch and takes its prey by surprise. It hunts by day, sometimes also at dusk.
It is a full migrant. It leaves its breeding grounds in September and returns in April and May. It is usually solitary and sometimes hunts in pairs, but on migration it travels in flocks, which become very large at some narrow passages. It often migrates at night too. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and passage migrant. Observations run from May to October, with the most in May and September. Records from June and July come only from Kvemo Kartli. It breeds from mid-May to August. While breeding, the pair defends its territory and often circles high in display. The nest is probably built by the female, a new one each year. It is a small nest of twigs in a deciduous tree, usually 5–10 m above the ground, lined with green leaves. It lays 2–5 eggs, which only the female incubates, for 30–35 days. The chicks start to fly at 40–45 days and become independent about 15 days later.
Globally the Levant sparrowhawk's risk of extinction is rated low (LC, 2021). A 2012 estimate puts the number of mature birds at 10,000–19,999, and numbers are stable, although this figure is probably too low, because the species is hard to identify and lives secretively. Wind farm development is a threat to it. In Georgia, trappers who are after other species for falconry also catch Levant sparrowhawks and often kill them, because the species is no use for falconry. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES and of the Bonn Convention. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates its risk in Georgia as low (LC).
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and passage migrant. Observations run from May to October, with the most in May and September.
Most often in Kvemo Kartli, in Gardabani Municipality, and in Adjara near Batumi and Sakhalvasho, where it passes on autumn migration. It has also been seen in Mtskheta-Mtianeti near Stepantsminda, in Kakheti and in Tbilisi.
The Levant sparrowhawk has a shorter tail, more pointed wings and dark eyes. In flight it shows dark wingtips on the pale underwing. The Eurasian sparrowhawk has yellow or orange eyes and a barred underwing.
The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird. It nests in a deciduous tree, usually 5–10 m above the ground.
It is 32–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 60–75 cm. The female is larger than the male.
Mainly lizards and large insects, as well as small birds and rodents.
The Levant sparrowhawk is harmless to people. Globally its risk of extinction is low and its numbers are stable. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it LC in Georgia. The species is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
