also feed on poultry found in rural villages, which have inadvertently been made available by humans. They also often take species such as rock pigeons that have flourished due to urban growth and settlement. It is, in fact, one of the species that have been able to adapt to a changing habitat due to afforestation and urbanization by taking advantage of the increase in dove and pigeon populations. With some regularity, they prey on other raptor species, including shikra, Ovambo sparrowhawk, African goshawk and wood owl. Very occasionally, they may supplement their diet with small mammals, such as bats, rodents and juvenile mongooses. Black sparrowhawks can carry their plucked and decapitated prey over a distance of up to , usually well above the canopy. Reproduction A. m. temminckii usually breed between August and November while A. m. melanoleucus breed between May and October. In Zambia, they breed at an intermediate time, between July and February. Black sparrowhawks in eastern Africa seemingly breed at almost any time of the year. These birds are particular about their nest sites; they prefer sites within the tree canopy to protect their offspring from adverse weather conditions and other predators. Nests have been found from high in trees, though (in rare cases) have been found on the ground between large tree trunks. However, the nests are usually not deep within the forest in order to stay within close proximity of the hunting habitat outside of the forest. The nests are made up of thousands of sticks collected by both parents and are usually lined with green eucalyptus leaves, pine needles, camphor leaves or other aromatic greenery possibly to deter carriers of diseases, such as mites and insects, due to the repelling smell of the leaves, though greenery is often put in place weeks before the first egg is laid. The nests can measure from in width and deep. Black sparrowhawks form monogamous pairs, though extra-pair matings are not uncommon. A nesting pair will mate regularly throughout the breeding season, starting during courtship and continuing till after the chicks have fledged. Once nest building or refurbishing starts the female becomes lethargic, and the male does nearly all the hunting and provisioning of the female and the chicks when they hatch. Typically, the female will lay 2-4 eggs and the pair will incubate them for about 34–38 days until they hatch. Most of the incubating is done