Skip to main content

Lizard Buzzard

The Lizard Buzzard is a relatively small raptor that can be found in the tropical, open woodlands of Sub-Sahran Africa.

Kaupifalco monogrammicus
You can identify the Lizard Buzzard by its white chin, striped over with a vertical black line. They also sport black and white barred chest feathers, dark gray wings and back, and black tipped wings and tail feathers. Juveniles look a lot like their parents, but their feathers are tipped in brown rather than black.

As you may have guessed from the name, Lizard buzzards eat a lot of reptiles, though insects also make up a good portion of their diet. They even kill poisonous snakes, utilizing a quick strike to the head to kill. Lizard Buzzards typically hunt by waiting perfectly still on top of a high perch, swooping down to snatch their meal, and then bringing it back up to the perch to be consumed. The birds will occasionally hunt while in flight as well.

Lizard Buzzards are monogamous, and mates will find each other by making calls from their perches. Unlike many raptors, they do not perform aerial displays during courtship. Females do most of the incubating, while the males hunt. The normally quiet male Buzzards become very territorial and aggressive during nesting.

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Africa
Size : Length around 14in (36cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Accipitriformes
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Kaupifalco -- Species : K. monogrammicus

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Binturong

The Binturong ( Arctictis binturong ) also has an equally awesome alternate common name, the Bearcat! However, it really isn't much of a bear OR a cat. While it is true that it is part of the Feliforma suborder, it is not a member of family Felidae. Binturongs are a part of their own family, Viverridae, which is shared with Civets, Linsangs, and Genets. There are six subspecies of Binturong, all of which have slight differences based upon location and habitat. Binturongs range in body size from 60-100cm in length, (not including their tail which has roughly the same length) and weigh between 20 and 30lbs. Binturongs are nocturnal animals native to the rain forests of South East Asia. The species range spans through several countries including China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. They are tree dwelling mammals, and have fully prehensile tails that basically double their body length and can be used to cling to the trees or to grasp food. Binturongs are phe