Frances's sparrowhawk

Frances's sparrowhawk
Nominate race
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Tachyspiza
Species:
T. francesiae
Binomial name
Tachyspiza francesiae
(Smith, A, 1834)
Subspecies
  • T. f. francesiae - (Smith, A, 1834)
  • T. f. griveaudi - (Benson, 1960)
  • T. f. pusillus - (Gurney, JH Sr, 1875)
  • T. f. brutus - (Schlegel, 1865)
Synonyms[2]

Accipiter francesii

Frances's sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza francesiae) is a small bird of prey. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. The nominate subspecies, T. f. francesiae, is endemic to Madagascar, and the other subspecies are found in the Comoro Islands. The Anjouan sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza francesiae pusillus), also known as the Anjouan Island sparrowhawk, Ndzuwani goshawk or Joanna Island goshawk, was thought to be extinct until searches in the 1980s and in 2005 confirmed that it is still extant.

The name "Frances's sparrowhawk" commemorates Lady Frances Cole (died 1847), wife of the Cape Colony governor Galbraith Lowry Cole.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Accipiter francesiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22695508A93513268. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695508A93513268.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Frances's Goshawk". Avibase.