biology

Madagascar sparrowhawk

Madagascar sparrowhawk is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Madagascar sparrowhawk rather than just read about it. In short: The Madagascar sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

Key takeaways

Madagascar sparrowhawk belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Madagascar sparrowhawk to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Madagascar sparrowhawk from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Madagascar sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. It may form a superspecies with Eurasian sparrowhawk (A. nisus) and rufous-chested sparrowhawk (A. rufiventris) (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).

Population and Habitat The Madagascar Sparrowhawk inhabits Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. These Islands are almost 300 miles away from Madagascar over open ocean. It is suspected that there is between 3300 and 6700 mature Madagascar Sparrowhawks in the wild. It was classified as near threatened in August 2018 by the IUCN. They can be found at altitudes from sea level up to 1500 meters, but typically stay under 1000 meters. Their habitats consist of rainforests in the East, deciduous forests in the west, and spiny forests in the southwest.

Diet and Foraging The Madagascar Sparrowhawk eats other small birds which makes up 97% of their prey. Common avian prey includes the Madagascar Black Bulbul, the Madagascar Partridge, and the Madagascar Turtle-Dove. Other prey includes insects, frogs and some reptiles. The Madagascar Sparrow Hawk hunts by concealing themselves in low perches in the forest and pursuing prey in flight.

Reproduction and Development The female Madagascar Sparrowhawk typically lays three eggs each breeding season in the months of October and November. Eggs are incubated by the female for a period of around 35 days. Nests are sometimes reused over several seasons. After the eggs hatch the young develop quickly. They will develop to leave the nest at an average of 37 days and become independent of their parents at around 60–67 days. Their life spans can range to 7 years, and they aren't migratory birds.

Subspecies and description The Comoro Islands have/had 3 distinct subspecies of the Madagascar Sparrowhawk: The Anjouan sparrowhawk, the Mayotte sparrowhawk, and the Sensu Palmer Sparrowhawk. The most notable difference between the Madagascar Sparrowhawks and its distinct subspecies is the difference in color patterns between males and females. Male Madagascar Sparrowhawks have blue/grey stomachs, wings, and backsides with slight hints of orange around their chest, while females have brown/black chests and wings. But the male and female subspecies Madagascar Sparrowhawks have unusual patterns, that unmistakably make them different. Males average 158 grams in weight, and females average 206 grams. Length ranges from 43 to 53 cm and wingspan from 86 to 105 cm. The Sensu Palmer Sparrowhawk has been declared extinct since 1972.

Threats The Madagascar Sparrowhawk is threatened by habitat loss as a result of logging and wood harvesting. The number of Madagascar Sparrowhawks is decreasing as of 2023.

References

Ferguson-Lees, James and David A. Christie (2001) Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London. pp. 578–581. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Madagascar sparrowhawk

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Madagascar sparrowhawk claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Madagascar sparrowhawk before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Madagascar sparrowhawk ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Madagascar sparrowhawk

In research: Madagascar sparrowhawk appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Madagascar sparrowhawk in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Madagascar sparrowhawk is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Accipiter, Accipitriformes stubs, Birds described in 1834, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Madagascar sparrowhawk outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Madagascar sparrowhawk in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Madagascar sparrowhawk means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Madagascar sparrowhawk out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madagascar sparrowhawk in simple terms?

The Madagascar sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

Why does Madagascar sparrowhawk matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Madagascar sparrowhawk?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Madagascar sparrowhawk.