We had visitors this morning that caused the entire aviary to alarm call all at once. I don't know exactly who the visitors were, but some sort or kites or hawks. I guess there is a first time for everything. I live in Gauteng, South Africa, mostly too built up to be a hunting ground for predators. The pair landed on the aviary roof to try get in to eat my birdies. They gave up very soon but it was a very scary experience.





Kite (bird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Black Kite pictured here is a European bird, but our visitors were the same shape just with a white breast and a bit blacker wings. I only saw them from underneath after they took off again.

scary! But pretty. Make sure your aviary is well maintained, these guys will most likely keep visiting to see if they can break in.

WOW!!!! I kinda know how you feel. This weekend we were in the yard and a HUGE hawk with a pale breast and white stripes on its tail flew right over the umbrella. We had our 4 out there with us. It was so distracted by our babies it landed on the roof and just looked over at us. It was scary.

I have been trying to research bird of preys for that area.. and i have come up with 4 different ones that may be the culprit.
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the other picdture is of the martial eagle. but didnt look similar...... so am not posting it....

they all look awful mean......

Thanks Lav, the closest I thought was maybe a "Bat Hawk" the bird in the middle but the bird was darker like the "Kite". The patch was a sort of dirty white rather than clean white. I am going to find a local bird book as all these predator you have shown are common in the Kruger Park but not here where I live. Thank you so much.

american hawks eagle have white and sooty looking feathers
it also so saysit s the home of brown head parrot ..... i love all the pictures....

that kori bustard is a funny lookin g bird...

i see it says there is the green pigeon in kruger national park as well.Green pigeons are found in Zimbabwe, northern and eastern Botswana, northern Namibia, Mozambique, the Northern Province, Mpumalanga and east coast of South Africa.


the area is beautiful there. if i hadnt gone looking for that nasty bird i would have missed all the beauitful birds, flowers. etc...... thank you again

Very scary! I'm glad no one was hurt.

Very nice pics of all the different predators.

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so interesting some of the birds in your area.
this is one i found on bat hawk

That is looking closer to the birds, except the lower belly and legs need to be dark. Maybe they change color like some parrots by age. This was a pair. They came back today but the visit was even shorter because our dogs said they were not welcome.

Unwelcomed yes, but a very importent part of the natural food chain, I stand in awe when seeing these birds.
I know first hand what these birds are capable of, this old man chased one oneday as he/she carried away one of my Pigeons, image that me chasing a pereguine falcon...kinda fruitless...
I did come close to getting my bird back...
This is why I have added in-flights to my loft and locked down my birds...I took away there right to be free and fly the skies due to the hawks and falcons that lurk here...
These birds are so mysterious, deadly yes....but so aweing...