Whilst in Phil’s Fields near Sabya in southwest Saudi Arabia we came across a raptor hunting from the pivot irrigation system. There are two species that the bird could have been, Gabar Goshawk or Dark Chanting Goshawk. We had not seen Dark Chanting Goshawk in Saudi Arabia and were hoping for this species. The bird was obviously a fresh juvenile and althoygh we thought it was a Gabar Goshawk I asked Dick Forsman for his views. Dick very kindly replied saying “Definitely a fresh juvenile Gabar. The two species have rather different proportions, note especially long tail vs. short wings and white tips to secondaries, all typical of Gabar Goshawk”. These are some of the best photos I have taken of the species in Saudi Arabia.
