or on a pole or pylon. Nests have been recorded being lined with soft materials including animal fur, dry dung, Cape penduline tit nests, man-made cloth and the silk nests of a social spider (Stegodyphus dumicola). The female lays and incubates two (occasionally one or three) chalky white, unmarked eggs. Usually only one chick is raised but nests raising two chicks are not uncommon. The breeding cycle begins in midwinter and takes over 115 days. After leaving the nest the young may be found near it for some months and in the following year may even display in the same area. Some pairs and especially trios raise a second brood, starting about 24 days after the first brood fledges. Normally a female mates with a single male (monogamy), but in "broken veld" vegetation (a prey-rich habitat in the Little Karoo), a female and two males may form a polyandrous trio. In these cases an alpha male and female will be assisted in raising the young by a beta male. The alpha male copulates with the female 31–5 days before laying while the beta male copulates 5–3 days before laying. Subordinate co-breeding males may have reproductive fitness benefits by assisting the alpha female with nest defense and prey provision. Non-breeding individuals from previous broods may remain in their natal territory and form part of the breeding group. Habitat and abundance Pale chanting goshawks have a large range throughout most of the drier regions of Southern Africa. They inhabit dry semi-desert areas with open ground and appropriate perches from which to hunt. There is no evidence of migration though both short and long-distance movements are common. In the Karoo one pair or family group occupies between 4.4 and 8.6 km2 while around Windhoek one pair occupies between 5.4 and 6.7 km2. References External links Pale Chanting Goshawk - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Pale Chanting Goshawk, The Hawk Conservancy Melierax canorus, Biodiversity Explorer Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Oiseaux pale chanting goshawks Birds of Southern Africa pale chanting goshawks Taxa named by Carl Peter Thunberg