Melierax canorus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The pale chanting goshawk (Melierax canorus) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This hawk breeds in southern Africa and is a resident species of dry, open semi-desert with 75 cm or less annual rainfall. It is commonly seen perched on roadside telephone poles.
This species is approximately 55 cm in length with a wingspan of 110 cm. The adult has grey upperparts with a white rump. The central tail feathers are black tipped with white and the outer tail feathers are barred grey and white. The head and upper breast are pale grey while the rest of the underparts are finely barred in dark grey and white. The eyes are dark brown in the adult and pale yellow in the immature. The bill is red at the base and dark grey at the tip. The cere, facial skin and long legs are also red. In flight, the adult has black primary flight feathers, very pale grey (white from a distance) secondaries, and grey forewings. Immatures have brown upperparts, with a white rump and black bars on the tail. From below, the flight feathers and tail are white with black barring, the throat is dark-streaked white, and the rest of the underparts are rufous. It is larger and paler than the barred... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 6 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 8 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 10 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Chanting Goshawk sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 163rd most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Chanting Goshawk in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of West Coast National Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain against 5 mm in February.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale Chanting Goshawk sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Pale Chanting Goshawk sightings, West Coast National Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 70%), Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 50%) and Namib-Naukluft National Park (Namibia, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Pale Chanting Goshawk that you can see in West Coast National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Black-winged Kite (about 70%), Black Harrier (about 60%) and Black Kite (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale Chanting Goshawk is recorded against all the birds logged in West Coast National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
