BUZZARDS 97 



BUZZARDS 



The Jackal Buzzard (Buteojakal) is fairly common through- 

 out South Africa. It derives its name from its howling cry, 

 which somewhat resembles that of the Black-backed Jackal. 

 General colour, dull black, with a red patch on the breast 

 and reddish tail. Length, 21 to 23 inches. 



During the month of October, 1901, we found a nest in a 

 Euphorbia at Bluekranz Drift near Grahamstown. It was 

 cup-shaped, rather shallow, about 20 inches across the top, 

 and composed outside of very coarse, and inside of smaller 

 dry sticks ; all the lining discernible consisted of a few 

 sprigs of green leaves and a bunch of Ptylandsia (Old -Man's 

 Beard-moss). At the end of July, 1902, a second nest was 

 found at Pernside Kloof, also near Grahamstown. This 

 nest had, however, been built by a pair of Goshawks, and 

 afterwards " commandeered " by the Buzzards, as it con- 

 tained three eggs — two large white ones of the ordinary 

 Buzzard type, and a smaller egg resembling that generally 

 laid by the Goshawk. A photo was taken with the female 

 Buzzard perched near the nest (Fig. 51). Two little downy 

 chicks were hatched, which were fed by the parents at sunset. 

 Snakes, mice and rats and various birds seemed to be the 

 staple fare provided. A leg and feathers of a " Bush- 

 pheasant " {Pternistes) was on one occasion found in the 

 nest. Mr. Harold Fry states that a pair discovered by him 

 in Natal fed their young largely upon spiders and insects, 

 such as grasshoppers, &c. 



Mr. E. H. Ivy relates that ten days were spent in trying 

 to obtain a photograph of the parent birds at the nest with 

 young, but they invariably left before sunrise and returned 

 after sunset, when the light was far too faint for a " snap " 

 exposure. The camera was fastened quite close to the nest 

 on a neighbouring bough with 40 feet of tubing attached. 



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