by the female, but the male will take over after he has brought in prey. The female will then eat the food, and possibly bathe in a nearby stream, before taking over the incubation once again. This behavior persists into the brooding period, with intense brooding by the female lasting up to 21 days after which the female may also start to hunt for food, but only if the nest is left largely undisturbed by other predators. She remains the chief defender of the nest and the chicks. The newly hatched chicks are semialtricial in that they are fully covered in white down feathers but cannot leave the nest since they rely on the parents for food, warmth, and protection. After 37 to 50 days, the juveniles are fledged but the parents will continue to care for them for the next 37 to 47 days. The entire time from egg-laying to the juvenile independence can, therefore, be 20 weeks, or 5 months. Black sparrowhawks are known to attempt multiple brooding on occasions. This behavior is exceeding rare in birds of prey. The second brood may be raised in the same nest, or in a second nest nearby, where the fledglings from the first brood will continue to be fed by the parents. In the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, they are also known to build multiple nests in a season, and this behaviour is thought to be an adaptation to dealing with usurpation by Egyptian Geese. Nests are usually re-used year after year, frequently by the same pair. One nest is, in fact, known to have been used continuously for 32 years by a succession of pairs. References External links The Black Sparrowhawk Project on the Cape Peninsula Black Sparrowhawk - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Sounds of black sparrowhawks Videos of black sparrowhawks black sparrowhawk Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa black sparrowhawk Taxonomy articles created by Polbot