The African Gymnogene, also known
as the African Harrier Hawk, is a
large, light-bodied hawk found across
much of sub-saharan Africa. The adult
has unmistakeable grey plumage with
bare yellow skin, long yellow legs with
the tail crossed with one broad white
bar. Immature plumage is brown mottled
with buff. It spends much of it's time in
the cover of trees and is seldom seen
soaring above the treetops. It feeds on
a large variety of material from palm oil
nuts to young birds and insects.
The Gymnogene has a heel joint on it's
leg, allowing it to bend in both directions.
It uses this when probing cracks and
crevices looking for food. It can attain
the most extraordinary positions when
seeking food and is unique in being able
to hang upside down for long periods.
It mostly nests high up in trees,
laying 1-3 eggs that are incubated for
around 35 days.
