Carnivores   Pachydermata   Ongulates   Reptiles   Primates, rodents and others   Birds    Birds of prey    Terrestrial birds    Waders and water birds

The Eastern pale chanting goshawk, Melierax poliopterus, is an accipiter. It owes its common name to the male's habit of making a series of melodic whistles while perched at the top of a tree or pole during the breeding season.The scientific name exactly reflects these characteristics as comes from Melierax the Greek “melos” = song and “hierax” = hawk whilst poliopterus refers to the colour of this bird : “polios” = grey, “pteron” = wing.

It occurs in semidesert, dry bush, and wooded grassland up to 2000 m. They mostly feed on lizards, but will also take small mammals, birds and large insects.Common and widely diffused species, it is usually met alone and is paired only during the reproduction period.

It is easy to be sighted on the field because its loves to stay on the highest available point of its territory, perching on top of the few trees or, when these are absent, on the small shrubs present, from where it observes with extreme attention each slight movement.In kenya it is quite easy to spot in Samburu and tsavo.