14. African Hobby Falcon Falco cuvierii nesting and Sooty Falcon Falco concolor wintering in Maputo, Mozambique Kurt Lambert Sassnitzer Strasse 3, D-18107 Rostock, Germany It is known that African Hobby Falcons Falco cuvierii sometimes breed in larger towns (Brown et al. 1982), but it appears to be unusual. In December 1999, I recorded a breeding pair of African Hobby Falcons in Maputo, Mozambique. Every day from 18 to 23 December, one or two falcons attracted my attention with their loud voices; sometimes they perched in the tops of tall trees inside the so-called ‘fair area’ close to the mouth of the port of Maputo. In these trees (Casuarina, Eucalyptus), there were regular breeding colonies of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo, and Grey and Blackheaded Herons (Ardea cinerea and melanocephela). On 24 December, I discovered the nest of the Hobby Falcons: they had used an old cormorant nest in the bare upper part of an old Casuarina. From a high point, approximately at the same level as the nest, and from a distance of about 250 m, I saw two white chicks in the nest, and one parent plucking prey and feeding the chicks. The other parent, presumably the male, was in a neighbouring tree; later it brought prey to the nest. Once I observed a handing-over of prey in the air, accompanied by loud cries. The following three days were similar: the male, and once also the female, hunted small birds and brought them to the nest. Amongst the prey I identified with certainty Yelloweyed Canary Serinus mozambicus and Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullatus. On 28 December I left Maputo, so I could not continue to follow the progress of this brood. From 1981 to 1990, Sooty Falcons Falco concolor were regular visitors to the town of Maputo. My sightings range from November (earliest day 11/11/1998) to April (latest day 12/4/1985). During the day they often perched singly and motionless on high points such as tall trees; cranes, masts and high buildings in the port or in the town, so it was lucky to spot them. Sometimes they would take flight to hunt, often with loud cries, and in bright sunshine, but mostly they hunted in the early morning or late evening. Their most-used prey were European Swallows Hirundo rustica. Especially in the early morning and in the evening, the swallows crossed the broad mouth of the port in small groups, hence the falcons often hunted high over water. One or two birds sometimes perched at the railway station, or on buildings in front of it, where they waited for the evening return of Little Swifts Apus affinis which had a large breeding colony on the façade of the railway station building. I was never in Maputo for more than one to five days at a time, usually in the port, but in the period from November to April I could always see Sooty Falcons there. Mostly I counted only one, two or three birds, but in March and April could find 5–10 individuals at a time. Dates with greatest numbers were: 6–8 March 1981 (5–7 birds), 7 April 1988 (10), 8 April 1988 (6), 27 March 1989 (10). Once, on 23 December 1990, I saw one individual in Catembe, a village on the eastern bank of the port mouth; all other sightings were in Maputo itself, generally close to the water. It is remarkable that Herdam (1994) does not mention this species for the years 1977–83 in Mozambique. Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. 1983. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 1. Academic Press, London & New York. Herdam, H. 1994. Beobachtungen zur Vogelwelt von Mocambique. Orn. Jber. Mus. Heineanum 12: 1–60.

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Document posted: 16 August 2000